Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis Reboot
by Jalien26
Summary: Deoxys, with his co-host Mewtwo, are hosting a new reality show involving a new Airport that has access to every city and town in the Pokemon world. 22 teenage strangers will be competing to win...something. There will be drama, romance, tough challenges, and petty teenage arguments. Who will win?(Reboot story.)(THIS IS CANCELED)
1. Chapter 1

The sun rose, shining on a large, castle-like home. This was the Hall of Origins. All of the legendaries lived happily here, even if some didn't get along with others.

Most of the legends had already gotten early, as in 8 o'clock am early, and were up and about. But they felt like something was missing.

The girls were hanging out in the living room, watching Housewives of Alola. All of them, with the exception of the kids, had tears in their eyes.

"What is this show about again?" 8-year-old Mew asked. "And why is it so dramatic?"

Latias, sister of Latios, obviously, sniffled before blowing her nose. "It's nothing important, it's just like that."

Shaymin, in her land form, groaned. "Can't we just watch My Little Pokemon instead? This is too sappy."

"But that show's too cheesy," Victini argued, folding her arms. "I like seeing these girls argue."

"I don't know why, but it feels like somethings… missing." Virizion mused. "Nobody's really crying that hard."

"And what do you mean by that, Virizion?" Xerneas queried.

Virizion gave her a look. "I _mean_ , that nobody was really bawling that hard; I only heard quiet sniffling."

"She has a point." Tapu Fini spoke, in a calm, quiet voice. "Whenever we watch this show, Deoxys gets overly emotional, and we have to take a break in order for him to get himself together."

Suddenly, it clicked, and everything made sense. "Deoxys isn't awake yet!"

 **000**

Deoxys laying on his bed, snoring in an… uncomfortable position, but he was still sleeping peacefully nonetheless. His alarm clock said 8:15 am. Usually, he would wake up earlier due to his responsibilities, as he was the most responsible legend in the hall, this morning was different, however.

The alien had done a lot of last minute planning yesterday for his new show, such as finishing the hotel suites to his new airport, which had access to every town in the Pokemon world, advertising it, deciding which 22 contestants out of a few hundred that signed up would compete, preparing the teams, thinking of good challenges, and how he would introduce himself the the teenagers. So, needless to say, yesterday was very stressful for him.

Eventually, the sound of the male legendaries moving out and about woke him up slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, only to close them again. This happened a few more times, before he opened his eyes. Still feeling tired, he moaned, turning around to view his alarm clock. Seeing the time, his eyes immediately bulged out in panic, as he fell out of his bed.

"I OVERSLEPT!" He yelled from the top of his lungs.

Seemingly forgetting that he could simply teleport himself, Deoxys zoomed out of his room, ignoring the fact that almost everyone noticed he was in a panic, and into the the living room.

"WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME I OVERSLEPT?!"

"I mean, like, we thought you would get up on your own." Cresselia uncaringly answered, smacking on a piece of gum. "You're the one who didn't bother to set your alarm."

"So you wake up an hour later than you usually do, big whoop." Virizion huffed. "Why are you screaming so damn loud this early, anyway?"

"You don't understand," Deoxys began frantically. "I need to start picking up the contestants at 9:00 am sharp, and I don't have enough time to get ready!"

"Um, you still have 45 minutes to get ready." Nihilego chimed in. "That isn't enough time for you?"

"NO!"

A few seconds later, Mewtwo leisurely walked into the living room. "Dude, calm down, I can hear you screaming from across the hall…"

"Not a good time, okay?" Deoxys asked, still feeling panicked. "What are the contestants gonna think when I'm late?!"

Mewtwo shrugged. "I doubt they're gonna care. Hell, I know I wouldn't."

"You're not them, though!" Deoxys retorted, giving him a look, before sighing. "I need to get ready."

Deoxys teleported himself away. Mewtwo blinked, before teleporting himself away, into Deoxys' room, where the alien was.

Deoxys was now wearing a black tuxedo, and was adjusting his bow tie. Mewtwo rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "You do realize that we're Pokémon, right? Why are you wearing a dress?"

"It's a tuxedo." Deoxys corrected. "I need to make a good first impression on the contestants. Most of them probably assume that I'm a sadistic jackass who only cares about himself and the contestants pain and suffering!"

Mewtwo chuckled. "Wouldn't that be fun to watch?"

Deoxys deadpanned. "No, no it would not. Now I need to think about what I'm gonna say…"

"Deoxys, just be natural and say what comes to your mind." Mewtwo said. "Look, if you're that worried, I'll co-host for you."

"No!" Deoxys immediately exclaimed. "I don't want you antagonizing the contestants!"

"I won't, I won't." Mewtwo assured, rolling his eyes. "Unless of course one of the contestants gets smart with me. Then I won't be taking any prisoners."

Deoxys stared at the cat, before sighing. "Look, Mewtwo, thanks for the offer and all, but I'll be fine as a solo host."

"No you will not."

The powerful voice sent the Genetic and DNA Pokémon chills up their spines, as the two slowly turning around, facing the god herself, Arceus.

Deoxys quickly bowed down to her, while Mewtwo kept staring at her, causing the former give him a look, pulling the cat down to make him bow.

Arceus looked between the two, before sighing. "Deoxys, Seeing how frazzled and unprepared you were, both yesterday and today, I advise for you to have a co-host." She explained, her tone intimidating, sounding as if she meant what she said, and was not to be messed with. "And since Mewtwo is the only one to volunteer, and is most likely the only one that cares, it will have to be him."

"Y-yes m-ma'am." Deoxys stuttered.

Arceus gave him a look. "Arceus is fine, Deoxys."

"O-Okay, A-Arceus."

As Arceus walked away, presumably back to her throne, Mewtwo and Deoxys exchanged glances, the former grinning widely. "Well, that worked out well, didn't it?"

Deoxys sighed. "I guess. We just have to wait 40 minutes, and then we'll start picking them up."

"Question: Assuming that the contestants from different regions signed up, which region would we start in?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well, since we're already in Sinnoh, it would make since to start here." Deoxys explained. "Then, we would just go to whichever region is closest to that, except for Unova, Kalos, and Alola. The contestants from those regions will have to fly to Airport Tropolis."

"Huh, that seems cool." Mewtwo commented, before quickly changing his tone. "I-I mean, it seems cool because I was already thinking about it."

Deoxys rolled his eyes. "Just get ready, Mewtwo. You're driving the bus, by the way."

Mewtwo blinked. "Can't we just teleport from location to location?"

"We could, but we need to give the contestants time to get to know each other." Deoxys said.

"They can do that when we get to the hotel you built." Mewtwo reminded, deadpanning.

"Then this gives them more time to do it." Deoxys responded simply. "Now, let me do some practicing."

Mewtwo playfully rolled his eyes, before walking out of Deoxys' room. The alien looked in his mirror, before putting on the best confident look that he could, before adjusting his bow tie again. "Welcome to Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis… no, too redundant…"

 **000**

40 minutes later, the duo walked out of the hall doors, climbing down many, many stairs, to get down to route 207. Once they got there, they got on the green bus that Deoxys paid for, which had the words ' _AIRPORT TROPOLIS_ ' in red graffiti, and drove to Oreburgh City.

Once they got to the Mining City, they stopped by a normal looking two story house.

"So, who lives here?" Mewtwo asked.

"The first contestant is Gliscor." Deoxys answered, walking out of the bus. "He'll come out any minute now."

Sure enough, he did just that. Gliscor was a blue-purple vampire bat. His tail had two barbs, resembling his fangs, and red arms that had thin striations that were completely detached from his black wings. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon walked out with a Swoobat and an Aerodactyl, presumably his parents, who were hugging onto him, not wanting to let go.

"Don't leave us, baby." His mother, the Swoobat cried out. "W-We love you!"

"N-now remember, son, it's a dangerous world out there." The Aerodactyl father reminded, wiping his own tears, "So be careful."

"It'll be okay." Gliscor reassured, a bright smile on his face. "We'll meet again, and if I don't win, at least I can say that I tried! See you soon!"

As the Vampire bat glided toward the bus, his parents hugged each other. "Look at our boy, so optimistic…"

As soon as Gliscor got to the bus, Deoxys held out his right, noodle arm for a handshake. "Welcome to Total Pokemon-"

Before the Alien could finish his greeting, Gliscor immediately shook his 'hand' in a rapid manner. His claws caused Deoxys to squeak in pain, as his eyes widened. "Hello there! Nice to meet you! Nice suit you got there!"

Gliscor quickly glided into the bus, while Deoxys held his hand in pain, taking deep breaths, tears in his eyes, slowly following suit.

"This bus looks cool!" Gliscor complimented, observing it as if he had never seen a bus before.

Mewtwo rose a brow, as Deoxys walked back onto the bus. "He has… a lot of energy." Mewtwo commented.

Deoxys shrugged, before quickly grabbing his pained hand. "Hey, if it makes our show livelier, then so be it." He said, still sounding squeaky, causing Mewtwo to giggle.

Deoxys sighed in annoyance. "Mewtwo, just drive. Up next is Hearthome City."

"Okay, _father_." Mewtwo replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Time for an adventure!" Gliscor beamed.

 **000**

The guys were now arriving at Hearthome city. The large and low lively city immediately grabbed Gliscor's attention, and it showed.

"Wow, this city looks so cool!" The optimist beamed. "This is a great adventure!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that it doesn't stop here." Deoxys said.

"Yay!"

Mewtwo blinked, before leaning in closer to Deoxys. " _Are we just gonna ignore the fact that he's never been to a city that's only 5 minutes from his hometown?_ " He whispered questioningly. Deoxys just shrugged.

The bus stopped at a house that looked similar to Gliscor's. The Pokémon that came out of the house was a Leafeon. She was a tan colored fox that had vegetation features on her body. Her ears and tail resembled torn leaves, and she had leaves growing on her legs, as well as one on her chest and back. The Verdant Pokemon also had a larger, curled leaf growing on the middle of her forehead.

The Eeeveeloution walked toward the bus with a determined glare on her face. Before Deoxys could walk out to greet her, Gliscor immediately zoomed out of the bus, doing so himself.

"Hi, friend!" He beamed, closer than Leafeon wanted him to be.

The grassy fox growled, pushing his face away. "Back off, loser! That is not how greet your future leader and winner!"

Gliscor blinked. "Leader?"

"Obviously" Leafeon scoffed. "I have all the qualities you need in order to be a leader."

"Okay, leader!"

Leafeon grinned. "I like you, kid."

"Thanks!"

Deoxys sighed. "Get on the bus, guys. We have a lot of stops to make."

The contestants did as they were told. While doing so, Leafeon gave him a look. "How many stops do we have to make, exactly?"

"Uh… we still have another contestant from here we need to pick up, and we also have to go through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn..."

Leafeon groaned, plopping onto a seat. "This is gonna be a long ride. I have better things to do than to just wait on followers who inevitably get the boot!"

"Time for another adventure!" Gliscor cheered excitedly.

The others gave him looks, before Mewtwo turned to the main host. "Lively bunch we got here, eh? When are we gonna pick up someone relatively normal?!"

"Hey, we gotta make this show interesting." Deoxys responded defensively. "But don't worry, these next few contestants are normal enough. Anyways, next stop: Solaceon town!"

 **000**

In Solaceon town, there was a small, relatively new looking church, with a statue of Arceus on top of the building.

"Now, Luxio, are you sure that you want to commit to doing this?" A Gardevoir asked. She and a Luxio were standing outside of the church.

Luxio was a black and blue quadruped lynx with a small, black mane, and the fur on her paws extended to her ankles. She also had yellow eyes, two yellow rings around each leg, and a yellow four point start on the tip of her tail.

"Yes, Gardevoir; it's for the benefit of this church." Luxio assured, smiling. "If I don't win, at least I'll know that I tried, but with Arceus on my side, I will win this."

The bus arrived at the small town, and both of the contestants were looking outside the bus window. While Gliscor was amazed by what he was seeing, Leafeon looked at the church with a disgruntled expression glued to her face.

"What the hell are we doing at a church?" Leafeon asked, glaring at the hosts. "I thought we were picking up contestants, not pastors."

Deoxys blinked. "Uh, b-because the contestants we're picking up is right out here."

Gardevoir and Luxio looked at the bus, before taking one last glance at the church. "Well, good luck." Gardevoir said.

"Like I said, I'll be fine, as long as Arceus is on my side." Luxio promised once more, walking onto the bus.

Leafeon, who heard what the lynx said, rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Big deal. If you don't have the proper leadership skills, like yours truly, then having a generic legendary by your side won't do you any favors."

"Generic legendary? Hey, watch it!" Mewtwo snapped, glaring at the Eeveelution.

"Now, I'm sure she didn't mean it." Luxio assured, smiling at Leafeon, although it wasn't a… _happy_ smile. "Everyone slips up from time to time."

"I meant what I said…" Leafeon grumbled to herself.

Luxio stared at her, before shaking her head in disgust, sitting next to Gliscor. "The ungratefulness is real…"

"Hello! My name's Gliscor!"

Luxio giggled. "I knew that, honey. I know everyone's name."

Mewtwo blinked. "Because in this canon, Pokemon don't have names."

Deoxys sighed. "Anyway, now that we've picked up everyone from this region, it's time to go to Kanto."

"Woah!" Gliscor beamed. "So many places I've never been to before! Let's go!"

"You mean, you've never been to anywhere we've been so far?" Deoxys asked, a bewildered look on his face.

"Nope!" He responded, still sounding like his usual chipper self, much to everyone's shock.

"Wow, that stinks." Luxio replied. "You gotta spread the love everywhere!"

"It… would be nice to share some love!" Gliscor chirped in thought.

Leafeon scoffed. "Big whoop! We're just going to another region. It's your problem if you've never been anywhere."

Deoxys sighed once more. "Whatever. It's going to take us 2 hours to get there, so let's just go."

 **000**

In an airport in Castelia city, in none other than the Unova region, a car dropped off a Liepard, with one small bag on her back. Liepard was a purple feline Pokémon with a pink 'mask' over her eyes, and a long, purple tail. The cat's fur was purple and yellow, and she had yellow rosette speckles on her purple fur.

She looked oddly satisfied to get out of the car that dropped her off, but her smile quickly faded away when another Liepard, and a male Pyroar hugged onto here, not letting go.

"Mom… Dad… can you not?" Liepard asked, deadpan.

"Oh, sweetie, we know you're almost an adult," Her mother sang. "But that doesn't mean we can't show affection."

"Well, can you not do it in _public_ , while I'm trying to catch my _flight_?"

"It's fine, Pardie, they can look." Her father said. "We're really gonna miss you, you know."

"I can tell." The annoyed feline muttered under her breath. "Look, I gotta go. Who knows when my flight leaves."

"Alright, Pardie, remember us!" The male Pyroar called out.

"And remember to look both ways before crossing the street!" Her mother called out.

"I'M ALREADY ON THE SIDEWALK!"

 **000**

Liepard was now roaming around the airport, looking for her flight to Airport Tropolis. Castelia city was large and packed, so its airport being busy didn't come off as a surprise.

As the feline was walking, she muttered to herself in annoyance. "Why do my parents have to treat me like I'm a child? I'm 17 years old; I'm grown up enough to at least be treated with some dignity…"

She then sighed to herself. "But, I'm away from them now, so that's all that matters."

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Liepard turned her head around rapidly. Behind her was a dark blue, quadruped Pokemon with black fur covering the necks of his two heads. His front legs were blue, with two claws on each foot, while his rear legs had two small, backwards pointing toes without claws. The tufts of fur on his head, which covered up his unknown eyes, formed rounded points at the top, and his two wings each ended in two points. This was a Zweilous.

Liepard rose a brow at him. "Well, I obviously wasn't talking to you." She retorted. "Why are you up in my business, anyway?"

"Because it's a free region." The Dark & Dragon type replied snarkily. "Which means I also have the right to ask where you're going."

The female Dark type tightened her glare. "None of your business…"

Liepard walked away, leaving Zweilous, who chuckled to himself. "I love getting under other Pokemon's skin."

 **000**

The kitty that thinks she's an adult despite not being legal yet had finally found the gate she was looking for. She found a seat next to a female Frillish.

Frillish was a pink jellyfish with a round princess crown on the top of her head. She had five tentacle like appendages and a collar around her neck. Her appendages were wavy, and she had blue eyes with red sclera, and a curled eyelash on each eye.

The jellyfish turned to Liepard with a disgusted look on her face. Seeing this from the corner of her eye, the cat rose a brow at her. "Uh.. _can I help you_?"

"Art thou trying to out look me?!" Frillish accused. The Floating Pokemon spoke in a british accent.

Liepard narrowed her eyes at her. "Are you speaking shakespearean?"

Frillish scoffed. "You think you have the looks, don't you, _peasant_!?"

In the blink of an eye, Liepard jumped out of her seat, glowering at the jellyfish. "Did you just call me a _peasant_?"

"Yes, she did, obviously." The girls heard. They turned around, seeing a familiar Zweilous. Liepard's eyes widened in horror. "Oh… don't tell me…"

"Yep, I'm competing in reality show number one million." The two-headed dragon answered. "Figured it would be fun to see what this host does differently from other shows of this type."

"Well, that does not matter, because in the end, I will win it all." Frillish stated with confidence.

Zweilous let out loud chuckle. "I'd love to see that happen; that would _actually_ make for something interesting!"

"You will see just that, and you are going to love it, just as you said!"

As the two of them bickered some more, Liepard covered here face, growling into her hands in annoyance.

" _This is gonna be a long ass season_ …"

 **000**

After a 2 hour long drive, the Airport Tropolis bus had finally made it to the Kanto region. The 3 contestants in the bus looked around the scenery, with Gliscor, unsurprisingly, looking the most amazed.

"Where… where are we?" He asked.

"Where in Kanto." Mewtwo answered. "A.K.A, _my_ home." He stated boastfully.

Leafeon grinned. "I can't wait to find out who my next subject will be."

"Well, you'll find out soon enough." Deoxys said. "We only need to pick up two contestants from this region, starting with…" He let out a shaky sigh. "L-Lavender town…"

"LAVENDER TOWN!?" Luxio immediately blustered. "The place is Giratina's home; we can't go there!"

Deoxys let out another sigh. "Well, we have too, and we're almost there, so... yeah…"

Just as that was said, the bus reached the creepy town. The town was mostly filled with ghost types, and none of them seemed bothered with the atmosphere of the town, which was expected. Once they stopped at a house, Deoxys deadpanned. "Yeah… I'm not stepping foot out there."

Outside of the house was a Gastly. The ghost was a black, spherical Pokemon surrounded by purple haze, resembling poisonous gas. His mouth had two visible fangs, and his eyes were wide, with small pupils. Unlike most Gastlys, who usually had devious looks on their faces, this one looked oddly terrified. His eyes nervously shifted from left to right, flinching when anyone floated past his way.

The ghost and poison type took a deep breath, before entering the bus.

"Welcome to To-"

Gastly immediately shrieked in shock and fear, much to everyone else's surprise. Seeing this, the Gas Pokemon chuckled sheepishly. "S-sorry, I get frightened easily, heh heh.."

Mewtwo blinked. "Is it because you live in this creepy ass town?"

"Well, y-yeah." Gastly answered. "I always wonder how everyone adjust to this town so easily. But I'm not gonna let my cowardice stop me from playing the game." His look of determination faded. "A-Although it probably will…"

Deoxys nodded. "I admire the confidence." He complimented. "You can sit anywhere you'd like. Let's go to the next location; Vermilion city."

Mewtwo nodded, as he started driving. Gastly found a seat near Luxio, who was giving him a suspicious glare, creeping him out.

The ghost's eyes shifted from left to right, before sheepishly saying, "U-Um… H-Hi?"

Luxio's glint did not deter. "Hello to you as well…"

Gastly blinked, before hiding under the bus seat, shaking in fear.

 **000**

Vermilion City was a city for sea porting for ships, such as the famous S.S. Anne, and the S.S. Aqua.

The camera switched to a house, with a Shellder and a Clamperl.

Shellder was a black pearl like Pokemon, with his large tongue sticking out. He had two round, white eyes, with tiny pupils inside of them. He was inside of a blue, spiky bivalve shell.

The Clamperl… let's just say she's not as important.

"I can't wait for you to compete and finds some cute girls!" Clamperl chirped.

The Bivalve Pokemon beside her moaned in nervousness, "I sure can…"

His sister sighed, facing him. "Promise me you'll find that special someone, please?"

"Maybe it would, if it wasn't so hard for me to talk to girls since I'm such an awkward nerd…"

Clamperl giggled at his lack of confidence. "You just need some confidence, big bro, you'll find that special someone, I promise."

Shellder 'smiled' at her. "Thanks for having confidence in mey I just wish I had some confidence in myself"

Just then, a green bus with the words 'Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis' in graffiti arrived.

"Well, that's my bus." Shellder said. "Here goes everything."

"Good luck!" His sister called out, as he hopped away, onto the bus.

After seeing the other contestants, he still felt uneasy, despite there being only two girls on the bus currently.

"Um, h-how many girls are supposed to be on this show?"

"It's half and half." Deoxys answered. "There's gonna be 22 contestants, which means 11 of each gender."

Shellder blinked, before groaning, curling up into a ball.

Deoxys blinked. "Uh… O-kay, then…"

"Are we done yet?" Mewtwo asked, sounding unenthused.

Deoxys gave him a look. "I just said there would be 22 contestants; we're only at 5 out of the 15 we need to pick up."

Mewtwo groaned loudly, before asking. "Where are we going next, then?"

"To the Johto region!"

"Yay! More adventure!" Gliscor cheered.

Shellder found a seat next to where Gastly was hiding. "I can see you aren't very excited about this, either, huh?"

"Nope." Gastly responded, shaking his head vigorously.

"Yeah, I feel you."

 **000**

Cherrygrove city was a peaceful city filled with beautiful flowers, and it looked like a generally pleasant place to live in. The residents were all conversing with each other… well, with one exception.

At a house a few blocks down, a Meganium was seen bench pressing 150 pounds, counting each rep. She was a pale green sauropod-like Pokemon with yellow eyes. Her stamen, unlike male Meganium, were short, and they came from the top of her nose. Large, pink flower petals with a yellow central pattern and white tips encircle her neck, and she had a small, pointy tail.

Nearby, a Heracross walked toward her. Seeing that she was lifting weights, he chortled, shaking his head. "Would ya look at that, this bitch think she's a man."

Hearing this, Meganium paused, lifting up the weight for a final rep, before setting the weight down. She glowered at the Single Horn Pokemon. "What was that? I didn't hear you…"

Heracross wasn't fazed. "You heard me! Did I stutter?"

Meganium got up from the bench, her glower tightening. "I'm about to make you stutter right now." She growled.

"...Huh?"

The Airport Tropolis had arrived in the city while this was happening. The contestants, including Gastly, who was out of his hiding place, were viewing the city.

"Aw, this city is so beautiful." Luxio cooed.

"Y-yeah, it actually doesn't look that bad…" Gastly added.

"Eh, it's alright." Mewtwo said nonchalantly, before turning around to see a pending fight. "Uh, what's going on?"

Deoxys turned around himself, and seeing an intimidating Meganium strangling a helpless Heracross with just one of her vines, he quickly said, "Yeah… I-I'm not going out there."

Heracross struggled to get out of the Herb Pokemon's grasp, before the dinosaur let up, seeing the Airport Tropolis bus. She dropped the Bug/Fighting type, who took a few deep breaths, before scurrying away in fear. Meganium scoffed to herself. "That's what I thought…" She muttered.

Seeing this, Gastly whimpered. "O-okay, I-I think I'm scared again…"

"This is probably the most intimidating contestant we've seen thus far." Mewtwo commented, genuinely intimidated himself.

"Hence why she's my favorite contestant so far." Leafeon mentioned, grinning.

After she said this, Meganium walked onto the bus. She gave everyone an intimidating look, before saying, "If you saw what happened out there, you'd know not to mess with me."

"T-Trust me, w-we won't…" Shellder stammered.

Meganium smiled, thinking everyone understood the message, before out of nowhere, Gliscor popped up in front of her. "Hello!"

The she-dino was slightly taken aback by this, before giving the Fang Scorpion Pokemon an annoyed look. "Um… what are you doing?"

"Saying hi, silly!" Gliscor beamed. The others, including Meganium, winced at his ignorance. The Sauropod in question glared at him.

"Move it." She ordered, shoving a confused Gliscor out of her way.

"O-kay, then…" Deoxys chimed in, feeling a wave of awkwardness. "Let's just go to the next location."

 **000**

Four minutes was all it took to get to the next location… which was at a cave. More specifically, the dark cave.

"U-um, w-why are we at this c-cave?" Gastly stuttered in nervousness.

Deoxys read the paper of the contestants locations, before sighing. "Well, this _is_ where Tyranitar lives, so-"

"T-T-T-TYRANITAR?!"

The ghost rapidly floated back under his seat, as Meganium rolled her eyes. "Big deal; it's just another Pokemon. What do you think it's gonna do? Eat you?"

Gastly blinked. "M-maybe?

A few seconds later, the Armor Pokemon in question walked out of the cave, with a tough, intimidating look on his face. Tyranitar was a large, green, bipedal dinosaur Pokemon with armor covering his body. Several spikes went down the back of his head, neck, shoulders, and tail. Both sides of his chest, the center of his back, and his knees had two triangular holes, and he had a gray, diamond shaped patch of scales covering his belly, and a smaller one on his back.

He walked toward the bus, before flinching as he heard, "Tyranitar!"

Tyranitar paused, before slowly, seemingly hesitating, facing a slightly larger Tyranitar, who had an even more intimidating look.

"Win this, son." His father told him.

"Oh, I'll win this, alright." The son responded, before turning back around, facing the bus. The Rock and Dark type took a deep breath, putting his intimidating expression back on, walking towards the bus.

Once he got in the bus, he glared at the others. "Alright, listen up. _I'm_ winning this game, and _none of you_ better get in my way, got it?"

Meganium rose a brow. "You do realize this is a competition, right?" She inquired. "Any sensible pokemon _will_ get in your way, and you'll just have to deal with it."

Tyranitar blinked, slightly taken aback by the fellow dinosaur's response, before stammering, "W-well, you better… watch your back!"

"And suddenly, I'm not scared anymore…" Gastly spoke.

Leafeon snickered. "Nice try, spikes, but you're gonna have to try harder if you want anyone to be afraid of you."

Tyranitar growled to himself, before sitting in the back, putting his chin on his hand. Seeing his glum expression, Gliscor glided over to the Armor Pokemon. "Aww, cheer up Tyranitar, at least the journey isn't over!"

Tyranitar gave him a look, before rolling his eyes, scooting away from him. Gliscor sighed at this. "What's wrong with everyone?"

 **000**

On the way to the next location, the contestants sat in awkward silence. No one had said anything for the past few minutes.

Eventually, Luxio broke the silence. "So…. what do you guys plan on doing with the money, if that's the prize?" She asked. "If I win, I'll donate the money to the local church that I go to."

Hearing this, Deoxys' eyes widened as he mentally screamed. He realized that he hadn't even thought of a prize! " _Aw, crap…"_

Leafeon rolled her eyes. "Pfft, what you're gonna do with the money doesn't mean anything. What matters is actually winning it."

"She does have a point." Shellder said, before noticing everyone, specifically the girls, looking at his direction. "I-I mean, n-not that it's a b-bad thing, in fact, it's a-actually a great c-compliment to receive-"

"We know that, idiot." Meganium quipped. "We're looking at you because you opened you're invisible mouth, making you the center of attention. So spill."

The Bivalve Pokemon blinked, before chuckling sheepishly. "R-right. Anyways, if I somehow win, I'll buy the largest model of the solar system to ever exist!"

Everyone continued to stare at the clam, before Gliscor chimed in. "That sounds nice."

"It's… It's a nerd thing." Shellder said sheepishly.

"I'm getting the hell out of where I live if I win it." Tyranitar grumbled, still looking annoyed.

"Yeah.. I'd do the same as well…" Gastly murmured.

"What _I'm_ gonna do with the money, is none of you guys' business." Meganium answered brashly.

This left Gliscor, as everyone turned to the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. Gliscor thought about for a second, placing his chin inside his claws. "I… I don't know what I'm gonna do, actually."

Meganium rolled her eyes. "So this conversation was pointless, then?"

"Uh, _you_ didn't say what you were gonna do with the money?" Tyranitar retorted, before saying. "Okay, nevermind, this was definitely pointless."

As Mewtwo was driving, Deoxys slowly floated towards him, hoping the contestants wouldn't notice. " _Um, Mewtwo… we have a problem._ " The Alien whispered.

" _Can it wait, Deoxys_?" Mewtwo inquired, whispering back. " _I'm trying to drive_."

" _No, no it can't_." Deoxys answered, " _Because I have no idea what the prize will be_ -"

"WHAT?!" Mewtwo blustered abruptly, taking his foot off the gas, causing the bus to come to a sudden halt. The contestants, with the exception of the floating Gastly, who was hyperventilating in shock, fell out of their seats.

Meganium groaned as she lifted herself up. "Do you know how to drive?!" She yelled in annoyance.

"S-Sorry," Mewtwo apologized. "Let's keep going."

He then whispered to Deoxys, " _We'll worry about that when we get to the hotel_. _Let's focus on the present for now, and just hope no one finds out_."

The DNA Pokémon took a deep breath. "Right, right, right…"

"What are you guys talking about?"

The legendary duo jumped, before looking upward, to see Gliscor on the bus ceiling, a curious look plastered onto his face.

"U-uh, i-it's nothing important." Deoxys responded nervously, "Oh, uh, and would ya look at that, we're at Blackthorn City!"

Blackthorn City, the city of dragon types, was seen as a quiet city standing along the mountains. However, our resident contestant living here is not a driving type.

The camera focused onto a small, modern looking building, before showing the inside of it. A Medicham and an Umbreon were currently meditating, the former seeming much more focused than the latter, who looked more annoyed. This seemed to be an anger management session.

The contestant in question was Umbreon. Umbreon is a quadruped, black fox with crimson red eyes. He has long, pointed ears and a bushy tail with yellow rings.

The Medicham hummed in a calm tone, "Now Umbreon, in order to challenge your anger, you need think about everything that makes you angry, and-"

Umbreon's red eyes jolted open, giving the Medicham a look. "Excuse me, but how exactly is this supposed to help me with my anger issues? Thinking about my problems doesn't make them go away. If anything, it pisses me off more."

Medicham kept her eyes closed. "Let me finish, Umbreon. I was going to say that you should think about what makes you angry, and tell it to go away-"

"Yeah, no." Umbreon interrupted. "My Anger isn't a human being; I can't just tell it to go away, especially when there are so many outside forces that make it seem like the world is out to get me! I'm wasting my time."

The Moonlight Pokemon marched toward the door, slamming it once he left the building. Medicham sighed to herself. "He'll never get over his anger issues if he stops being so adamant…."

Umbreon roamed around the city for a few more seconds, before seeing the Airport Tropolis bus.

"Finally." He grumbled to himself, before walking toward the bus.

The contestants inside of the bus saw the dark type fox, and deduced that he was a contestant.

"Oh no, no, no, no…" Gastly squeaked. "N-not another dark type!"

"Who said that!?"

Umbreon was now on the bus, looking for the culprit. Everyone, including the hosts, stared at Gastly, knowing that he was screwed. The ghost type in question shrank back, grinning nervously. "S-so, um…. Who said it?"

"This is gonna be good." Leafeon remarked, smirking, as the other eeveelution growled, slowly creeping toward Gastly, as the ghost and poison type gulped.

"Listen here _kiddo_ , you're going to regret what you just said, and I'm going to make you regret it…"

Gastly whimpered, sweating bullets, "U-um…. Is it just me, or is it blazing hot in here."

"Uh, I hate to be _that_ host, but it's only 20 degrees celsius in here." Deoxys said.

"At least you tried, kid." Mewtwo chimed in.

Gastly whimpered once more, staring back into the ferocious dark type's eyes. "P-please don't hurt me! I have a dead life to live!"

Umbreon thought about 'killing' the ghost type right then and there. After all, he could easily do so. However, he didn't want to get on anyone's bad side; this competition requires allies in order get far.

Umbreon eventually sighed, "Just… if you ever say anything like that again, your ass is grass. Got it?"

Gastly nodded rapidly, his terrified expression still visible.

The fox in the back, where Tyranitar was. Slightly creeped out, he scooted farther away from him.

"Uh… what just happened?" Gliscor asked.

Deoxys sighed, "Don't worry about, Gliscor. Let's just go to the next location."

 **000**

Once again, complete silence had consumed the bus. Most of the contestants had either annoyed or bored expression on their faces. Gliscor was the only contestant who was actually excited.

Deoxys looked back at the contestants, before turning to Mewtwo. " _Is it just me, or is no one excited at all?"_ He whispered telepathically.

Mewtwo didn't answer. The cat held a confused look, trying to figure out where that voice was coming from? Was it from his head? Couldn't be; he could honestly care less about how the contestants felt.

" _Mewtwo!_ "

Mewtwo jumped in fright, once again taking his foot off the gas pedal, even more rapidly than the last time.

"What the hell? AGAIN?!" Meganium roared.

Mewtwo chuckled sheepishly, "My bad!"

" _So, uh, are you gonna answer my question? I'm speaking psychically, by the way._ "

Mewtwo blinked, " _...Oh...s-sorry about that._ "

" _So? Why do you think they aren't excited?_ " Deoxys asked.

" _I don't know, maybe it's because pokemon don't think very highly of TPI's nowadays._ "

" _What? Why not?_ "

" _Well, there are a lot of pokemon out there that say that TPI's are all the same, and that they're all uninteresting fluff. It's usually the snarky contestants, though._ " Mewtwo explained.

" _Well, if they have such a low opinion on these shows, then what's even the point of joining?_ " Deoxys asked, sounding offended. " _Why can't pokemon keep their negativity to themselves?_ "

" _Beats me, honestly_."

 **000**

Ecruteak City was a historical, ancient looking city, with plenty of japanese architecture. It was also home to the ten story bell tower.

Nearby, a Torterra roamed around the city. Torterra was a quadruped, green tortoise, with a large shell covering his back, and a tree on top of it. Next to the tree, he had a patch of brown, resembling soil. The lower half of his body was brown, and he had two large gray spikes on each side of his head. The Continent Pokemon seemed like he was looking for something.

As he continued roaming around the city, his eyes immediately fell upon a male Rhydon, who was reading a book. Torterra then smiled to himself, heading towards the Rhydon.

"Hi! How are you doing?" The drill Pokemon heard, as he begrudgingly looked up, seeing Torterra.

Rhydon rose a brow "Um, hi…. What do you want?"

"To talk to you, obviously."

"...why?"

"Because you're handsome." Torterra responded rapidly.

Rhydon narrowed his eyes at him. "No thanks, I'm not gay."

The Rhinoceros got up from the bench he was sitting on, before walking away. Torterra rolled his eyes. "Yeah… I'm not either…" He then saw a Roserade, and decided to go for it. "Hi, what's your name?"

Suddenly, a familiar green bus arrived, causing Torterra's eyes to immediately focus on the bus, and run towards it. "Oh, sorry, I gotta go, I'll get your number when I win!"

The Roserade blinked. "...What the hell just happened?"

" _Not that I'll remember anyway…_ " Torterra thought to himself, as he walked onto the bus.

"Welcome to Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis, Torterra." Deoxys greeted.

But Torterra wasn't paying attention to the alien. Torterra was gazing at a certain rock and dark type, his eyes sharp, wide, and focused. The Sinnoh grass type final evolution said nothing, as he walked towards Tyranitar, before seeing Umbreon and his... less than pleased look. Torterra took note of this, and sat one seat in front of Tyranitar.

Tyranitar rose a brow. "Uh… are you gonna say anything?"

Surprised at hearing Tyranitar talk to him, Torterra rapidly turned his head to face him, making Tyranitar flinch slightly, although it wasn't very visible. "Oh, uh, hi, I-I didn't see you there….heh heh…" Torterra chuckled sheepishly.

Tyranitar gave him a look. "Don't even think about looking at me like that…"

Annoyed, Tyranitar held his head on his right arm, facing the window. Torterra groaned to himself. " _The hell is wrong with you, Torterra_?"

 **000**

The Camera cut to an Airplane flying in the sky. On the outside, the plane had the words 'ALOLA AIRLINES' in red and in all caps. Inside the airplane, there were four Pokemon.

The first was a Bruxish. Bruxish was a colorful fish with a light blue front, purple lips and light blue dots. Most of her body was pink with some yellow on the bottom, on outside of her eye. Her sharp teeth were visible, her fins were dark purple, light blue, or a combination of the two, and her tail fin had the shape of a flower.

The Water-Psychic type held a confident look on her face, as she approached a Charjabug. Charjabug was a small, green cuboid insect Pokemon. His body consisted of three square segments, with two brown stubs on each. His last two sections have thin oval rings on each side. His eyes were square shaped, and each eye covered by a blue screen. Two yellow spikes extended from his front square on each side, and his mouth was gray and rectangular, with two jaws that close sideways, shaping a lightning bolt. The Battery Pokemon was reading a comic book.

"Hello sugar," Bruxish purred after reaching the Bug-Electric type. Charjabug turned to her in curiosity.

"I've never seen a man with such fine looks like yours." Bruxish complimented seductively.

Charjabug blushed at this, "W-well, I've never heard anyone compliment me like that..."

Bruxish grinned to herself in vindication, before hearing the green bug say, "But I'm gay, so unfortunately, I'm not attracted to you. Thanks for the compliment, though."

Bruxish blinked, before growling to herself in slight embarrassment, as she floated away rapidly.

"O-kay, then…" A perplexed Charjabug remarked, before going back to reading his comic; Issue 3 of 'The Mighty Chu'. As he was reading, his eyes widened in fear. "Oh no… Mighty Chu, don't let Dr. Mewtwo and his Jigglypuff minion use that anti-electricity shot on you!"

A Jangmo-o approached the Charjabug a few seconds later. Jangmo-o was a small quadruped dinosaur-like Pokemon. He had a large, heart-shaped yellow scale on the top of his head, small white tufts resembling his ears, and more on his chest. He also had six teardrop shaped scales hanging from his shoulders, which were gray with a pale yellow on the outside edge. A solid yellow scale with the same shape was on the tip of his tail.

"Hey," he started, "Wanna hear a joke?"

Charjabug stared at him for a few seconds. "Sure, why not?"

"Why is Dr. Mewtwo so obsessed with using that anti-electricity shot on Mighty Chu?"

Charjabug put on his thinking face, before answering with, "Not sure, actually."

Jangmo-o snickered. "Because it's… _electrifying_!" The Scaly Pokemon then burst into hysterical laughter.

Charjabug almost immediately did the same. "I-It's funny, because it's true!"

Bruxish, from a distance, rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, that was lame and you know it."

The two small Pokemon stared at the fish, before bursting back into laughter. Bruxish scoffed at this. "I'm outta here." she said, before storming off.

A Salazzle was sitting across the duo, shaking her head. Salazzle was a dark grey Pokemon resembling a salamander. Her underside was purple, and she had three pink marks on her body. One was on her chest, making a 'U' shape, and the other two were on her abdomen, with the shape of 'f'. She had a long, grey tail with a pink underside, with two protrusions coming out from the tail's base.

" _If this is the competition, then they might as well just give me the money._ "

 **000**

On another plane, the three Pokemon from Unova were….not getting along very well.

"By my christendom to Arceus, thee art so no more brain than stone. Receiveth valorous!" Frillish yelled.

"Who are you even talking to?" Zweilous asked, giving the jellyfish a look. "And what the hell did you even say?"

"I speak to whoever hears me, thank you very much." Frillish sneered. "And what I speak does not matter to you one bit."

"Uh, yeah, it does." Zweilous responded. "If you're trying to get a point across, what you're saying should actually be coherent, otherwise, it's just verbal diarrhea."

In response, Frillish let out a dramatic gasp. "How could you ever accuse me of doing something so appalling?!"

"It's a saying you-"

Suddenly, a familiar Cruel Pokemon shot out a Dark Pulse at Frillish. Frillish, being a ghost type, was immediately blown back, and hit the plane wall. She groaned in pain, before yelling, "What blasphemy is this?!"

Zweilous couldn't help laughing at this, before hearing. "What are you laughing at?" The Dragon/Dark type turned his heads around.

"I guess I could say I'm laughing at you, _and_ her. You for getting so pissy, and Frillish for experiencing karma. That's hilarious! Uh…. what are you-"

Liepard rapidly pounced on the Hostile Pokemon, using Play Rough. Zweilous let out a high pitched scream in agony and fear, as he was being pummeled. After the finishing blow, Zweilous flew back to where Frillish was. He then immediately scrambled behind Frillish. "GET HER AWAY FROM ME!" He shrieked.

Liepard grinned to herself. "Now, I would really love if you two would shut your traps for the rest of the flight. Understood?"

Frillish and Zweilous exchanged fearful glances, before nodding rapidly.

"Good; nice to see that we're in agreement."

 **000**

It had taken the Airport Tropolis bus crew about 1 and a half hours to get to the Hoenn region, and it was lunch time. The problem was, that there wasn't really much to eat around where they were, so the contestants were hungry.

"Ugh… a true leader shouldn't be _starving_ like this." Leafeon groaned. "When are we gonna eat lunch?"

"Well, there isn't anything to eat around here." Deoxys said, while looking out on the plain roads. They were currently on route 111, and were on their way to Verdanturf town. "We're gonna have to wait until we get to Lilycove city."

"Lilycove city?!" Shellder exclaimed. "But that's too far from here!"

"Or… we could stop at Mauville City." Mewtwo suggested, giving Deoxys a look. "We're literally less than 5 minutes away from there."

Deoxys rose his right arm to speak, but he quickly put it back down in realization. "Yeah…. Just stop at Mauville."

 **000**

The contestants stopped at the indoor city, and were now at the food court. Deoxys had paid for the food himself. It hurt his budget a bit, but he still had a lot of money for the show. The contestants figured that they might as well talk.

"So, um, what's your deal?" Luxio asked Leafeon, as she was sitting down on the table, with a tray of salad.

Leafeon was about to take a bite into a Blaziken wing when she asked this. She put it down, raising a brow. "Can you elaborate?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but you seem egotistical and narcissistic."

"Yeah… totally not rude at all." Leafeon remarked, rolling her eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make baseless assumptions about me. I just want to be a good leader, okay?"

"That's fine, but you better tone down your attitude." Luxio warned. "I got my eye on you." She said, as she got up, taking her salad with her.

"Okay, Mother Arceus." Leafeon quipped, a careless smirk growing onto her face.

Luxio scoffed at her, but she kept walking away. " _So much for baseless assumptions_." She whispered to herself.

As the Lynx left, Meganium, came to Leafeon with a tray of salad. Meganium wanted to stay healthy so that she could keep her strength. "What was all that about?"

"Luxio just questioned my personality for….literally no reason."

Meganium rolled her eyes. "You gotta love it when some rando gets pissy at you just for being who you are, despite the fact that they barely know you beyond that. I have to deal with that every day back at home."

"Those people just hate just for the sake of hating." Leafeon commented. "And now that we're in a competition, I'm gonna keep my confident attitude."

"You said it."

At another table, Gastly was eating alone. Most of the other contestants just seemed too hyperactive for him to feel comfortable. As the Ghost-Poison type was about to take a bite of another fry, Gliscor suddenly appeared from above to say, "Hi, Gastly!"

Gastly yelped in shock, dropping his fry on the ground. In front of him was a Fang Scorpion Pokemon less than 2 feet from his face, smiling widely. This creeped him out quite a bit.

"U-Um… h-hi?" Gastly stammered in response, grinning sheepishly. "W-Why are you here?"

Gliscor sat down at the table. "Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Okay, b-but can you do it less… abruptly?" Gastly suggested.

"What does that mean?"

"Give me a warning before doing so." Gastly responded. "I'm not really the best with sudden approaches…"

Gliscor thought about it for a little while, before smiling at Gastly. "You know what? That's a great idea! Thanks, Gastly!"

Gliscor quickly glided away, leaving Gastly alone, as he sighed in relief.

Shellder was sitting at a table with Torterra, but they didn't really interact with each other. Shellder seemed to be looking at someone.

" _Let's see…_ " Shellder began, his voice barely above a whisper. " _Meganium seems feisty, and she's frightening as hell, a she looks like she only likes strong boys, so she isn't an option._ "

The Bivalve Pokemon then shifted his focus toward Leafeon. " _Leafeon's also a feisty one, and she seems like a really dominant top… but she'd crush me, so she's out as well._ "

Then he turned towards where Luxio was sitting. " _Luxio is much nicer than the other girls, but she's still-_ "

"Um, what are you talking about?"

Shellder jumped in surprise, not expecting Torterra to actually talk to him. "O-oh, u-uh…." The clam stammered, before sighing. "I was whispering to myself, but it's embarrassing."

"Dude, you can tell me." Torterra assured. "I won't tell anyone else. I promise."

"Well.." Shellder began. "I'm analyzing the girls to see which one's my type. Unfortunately, none of them are."

"I see." Torterra replied. "You don't seem like the flirty type, so you should just let a girl come to you and get to know them before trying to get under them, even if sounds a bit hypocritical of me."

"No, no, it's good advice." Shellder assured. "I just need to be more patient."

Torterra nodded, before turning towards where Tyranitar was sitting. " _And while I'm at it, I should take my own advice._ "

Umbreon was also at a table of his own, eating a chicken sandwich with a small fry. He looked much calmer, as he had gotten over Medicham's incompetence and Gastly's diss. The Moonlight Pokemon was about to take another bite on his sandwich before hearing- "Psst, hey, Umbreon, I'm about to suddenly approach you to say hi."

"What the hell?" Umbreon asked. The Dark type fox rapidly jerked his head from right to left, trying to find where the creeper was. Suddenly, Gliscor appeared from under the table. "Hi, Umbreon!"

Umbreon, while not nearly as frightened as Gastly, was taken aback by the sudden appearance. He glared at the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. "The hell do you want?" He asked abrasively.

"Nothing." Gliscor responded. "I just wanted to say hi."

Umbreon smacked his lips. "What part of your pea brain told you to give me a waning that you were gonna sneak up on me so abruptly?"

Gliscor casually pointed towards where Gastly was sitting. Gastly gulped in fear, seeing Gliscor call him out, and seeing Umbreon's piercing glare, as he quickly hid under the table.

"Why am I not shocked in the slightest." Umbreon muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Just… sit down and don't talk to me." Umbreon grunted.

Gliscor was a bit saddened by this. "Oh… okay." He said in compliance. He didn't understand why everyone was so hostile. His parents and his neighbors were nice…..

 **000**

10 minutes later, after everyone had finished eating, they immediately got back on the road, and had started to make their way towards Verdanturf town.

" _So, how do you think that lunch social went?_ " Deoxys asked telepathically.

" _Honestly… I don't know or care, but it probably went fine._ " Mewtwo responded.

" _Do you think that we should go into a challenge once we get there right away, or give the contestants a chance to rest first?_ "

" _Hmm… not really sure-_ "

"STOP!" Torterra yelled.

Suddenly the bus came to a screeching halt, and the contestants heard a loud bump, and a grunt of pain.

Umbreon growled. "Can we get a new Arceus damn driver?!"

Deoxys blinked. "Di….did you just hit someone, Mewtwo?!"

"I don't know! Go out there and look!" Mewtwo exclaimed in panic.

"Okay, okay!" Deoxys responded frantically.

When the Alien floated outside of the bus, he saw a Kirlia struggling to get back on his, yes, _his_ toes. Kirlia was a feminine looking humanoid, and his species resembled a ballerina. He had a mostly white body with three ruffles on each hip and thin arms. He had skinny green legs with pointed toes, as well as green hair with two ponytails on each side. He also had two red horns on his head.

"Uh, Ma'am, are you okay?"

The Emotion Pokemon finally got back on his toes, giving Deoxys a look. "Ma'am? I'm a dude?"

Deoxys was taken aback by this. "W-What!? I'm so sorry-"

Kirlia sighed. "It's fine, I'm used to it." He replied, before glancing at the bus. "Wait a minute, this is the Airport Tropolis bus, right?"

Deoxys nodded. "Yep. You must be one of the contestants. I forgot that you were a male Kirlia. Why didn't you just wait at Verdanturf town?"

"I didn't feel like waiting any longer." Kirlia explained. "So I decided that I needed to get used to these legs since I just recently evolved."

"Alright then, let's get you into this bus." Deoxys said.

As the two got back into the bus, everyone else, including Mewtwo, eyed him anxiously as if he was severely injured.

"Um, guys, I'm fine." Kirlia assured. "I wasn't hit that hard."

"Wait… you're a dude?" Torterra asked.

Kirlia blinked, before facepalming. "Not sure why that shocked me."

"Okay, let's just go to the next location." Mewtwo said.

"Oh hell no." Meganium interrupted. "We aren't going anywhere until we get a new driver. _You_ are way too damn reckless."

Mewtwo blinked for a few seconds, before saying. "Fine by me. Take the wheel, Deoxys!"

Deoxys rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright." He repeated, before taking the wheel.

 **000**

Lilycove city was one of the most attractive cities in Hoenn. It had a beach, a department store, and the S.S tidal.

There was also a motel, where the next contestant was staying. An Illumise sat on the porch of the motel waiting impatiently.

Illumise was a firefly-like Pokemon, with a blue face, purple curls surrounding her head, and small, yellow antennae. Her body was black with a blue belly and a yellow bud marking. Her arms and legs were also black and were connected to the body by purple borders, and her tiny wings were clear. She had a scare on her forehead, for some reason.

"The host better get here soon." She muttered. "I have to win this game, or else I'm gonna be living in this dump for the rest of my life."

Eventually, the bus had arrived after a 10 minute drive, immediately attracting the firefly's attention. "Finally." She said, as she flew over to the bus.

The bus doors opened up as soon as she got there. "Welcome to Total Pokémon Airport Tropolis, Illumise!"

Illumise looked at Deoxys' tuxedo, before looking up at him with a deadpan expression plastered onto her face. "Why are you wearing a suit?"

Deoxys sighed in exasperation. "It's a tuxedo, not a suit."

"Same thing." Illumise replied, flying into the bus. "Why do guys always think they're classy when they aren't?" She asked, offending a few of the guys.

"Who do you think _you_ are, trying to signal out all of the guys like that?" Umbreon queried, his temper rising.

"A realist." The Firefly Pokemon quipped. "And quite frankly, you aren't helping your case."

"You aren't helping _your_ case; you're the one trying to start a gender war by claiming that no guys are classy." Umbreon retorted, glowering at Illumise. "That's not being a realist."

"Neither is playing the victim while claiming I'm starting some 'gender war' just for stating my opinion." Illumise shot back.

"Uh, guys… this is making me really uncomfortable…" Shellder admitted.

Illumise pointed at the Bivalve Pokemon, while her gaze was still fixed on the Moonlight Pokemon. "And some guys just can't take the heat." She stated.

"Okay, as a woman, I feel like you need to stop, Illumise." Luxio spoke up with concern. "Can't we just love everyone?"

"Says the girl that confronted me about my personality earlier." Leafeon muttered under her breath, which Luxio didn't hear.

"Okay! Enough!" Deoxys interrupted abruptly. "Everyone just calm… down…."

Everyone, including Mewtwo stared at the Alien in silence as if he had something to say, causing him to sweatdrop. "So, uh… let's go to the next location."

Tyranitar rose a brow. "That's it? No reassuring statement on how this mess of a road trip is almost over?"

"Hey, I had fun." Gliscor said.

"Of course you did." Meganium grunted.

 **000**

The next location was in Oledale town. Oledale Town was just a plain, calm town with nothing interesting going on.

It took about 15 minutes for the bus to get to this quiet town.

"You recruited a contestant from Oledale town?" Kirlia asked. "I'm actually okay with that considering there are very few normal contestants so far. No offense, guys."

"Gee, thanks…" Gastly responded sarcastically, with a sigh.

"Seriously though, I hope the next contestant is _somewhat_ normal." Mewtwo beseeched in hope.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, they heard a few rapid knocks on the door.

"Uh, that's strange." Deoxys said with perplexion. "I guess I wasn't paying attention."

He then pressed the button right beside the wheel that opened the bus, but he still didn't see anyone-

"Down here!"

"Oh!" Deoxys blurted, as he floated to the front of the bus, now seeing a Mudkip.

Mudkip was a small, mostly blue quadruped Pokemon, and his underside was light blue. His head had one fin at the top, and a light blue tail fin. His eyes were black and beady, and he had two orange, star shaped gills on its cheeks, one on each side.

"Sorry, Mudkip." Deoxys apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Mudkip said, before sighing in nervousness. "Welp, here goes nothing." He muttered, before walking into the bus.

"Oh look, we have a pipsqueak." Tyranitar jeered. "That just makes the competition easier."

Mudkip blinked. "Do you enjoy putting smaller Pokemon down to make yourself feel better?"

Tyranitar was about to retort, but nothing came out of his mouth, so he just folded his arms, facing the window. "Shut up…"

"Damn, he got you good." Leafeon snickered.

Mudkip looked confused. "What? I was being serious."

"Don't worry about it." Deoxys interrupted. "We have one more contestant to pick up."

"Wait, where is the Airport we're going to?" Mudkip asked.

"It's...just in a non Pokemon Trainer city called Skyfall." Deoxys responded. "But out of all the regions, it is closest to here."

"Wait a minute…" Meganium began, her voice full of suspicion and realization. "If the airport isn't in any of the four connected regions, then how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?!"

Deoxys' eyes widened in realization. "...Crap…"

"Okay, you know what, just drive." Mewtwo demanded. "The sooner we get this over with, the less _you'll_ be stressed out."

Deoxys was quite shocked at the usually careless Mewtwo trying to stay on schedule while actually looking out or his sanity. The DNA Pokemon let out a quick sigh, "Yeah, you're right, let's get a move on."

 **000**

Petalburg City was the final location, and like Oledale Town, it was just a normal town surrounded with trees.

It only took a few minutes for the bus to arrive in Petalburg, and once they got there, a Zangoose immediately walked towards the bus.

Zangoose was a bipedal Pokemon whose species was a mixture between a cat and a mongoose. She had mostly white fur with red scars on her face, chest, and forearms. The claws on her forepaws were long and black, and on her feet, she had pink paw pads. Her eyes were also pink, and she had long ears and a small red nose.

When Deoxys opened the bus doors, before he could say anything, the Cat Ferret Pokemon said. "Hey." before quickly finding her own seat on the bus.

"Well… that was anticlimactic." Torterra remarked.

"Hey, I don't have anything else to say that actually needs to be said." Zangoose asserted. "I don't waste time."

"Okay, with that said, let's go to Slateport City to get a boat!" Deoxys quickly responded, as the bus quickly drove off before anyone can get settled.

"Arceus, slow down!" Luxio barked.

 **000**

Skyfall city was a relatively new city that had nothing to do with a regular Pokemon Trainer's journey. It's probably even busier than he biggest cities in the Pokemon world, and it's definitely the most populated, despite only being around for less than a year.

The city had several attractions, including a mall, a waterpark, a street with several restaurants, casual and fancy, and of course, the Airport Tropolis.

The plane from Unova had landed about 10 minutes ago, and needless to say, Liepard was quite disappointed with being one of the first few at the airport, because it meant she had to wait outside for everyone else…. With _those two_.

Despite Liepard beating Frillish and Zweilous up, the two still insisted on being annoying with their bickering anyway, even when she would tell them to shut up. They made her want to take a cat nap.

"The other peasants better arrive her sooner rather than later." Frillish huffed. "I want to get this easy competition over with."

"Careful, I'd check that ego if I were you." Zweilous advised. "No one likes a Pokemon with a huge ego."

"Ironic how you're the one saying that shit." Liepard hissed in agitation. "Can I get silence for 10 Arceus damn minutes."

"...No." Zweilous answered, deadpanned. "You sound you've never been out of your house and expect everyone to bow down to your wants."

A few seconds later, another plane landed, immediately catching the Unovan contestants' attention.

"Finally!" Liepard cheered, hoping she would have someone who _wasn't_ annoying to talk to, so her experience wouldn't be hell.

The Alolan Pokemon who were on the plane walked down the stairs, and they had varying reactions seeing that only three other fellow contestants were there.

"This is it?" Bruxish asked in bewilderment. "Where are the rest of the guys?"

Salazzle gave her a look. "Is that really all you came here for? To meet boys? You need to get your head in this game. Especially if we happen to be on the same team." She warned.

"It hasn't even started yet." Bruxish retorted. "And I'll do this competition my way, thank you very much."

"So, uh… how long are we gonna have to wait?" Jangmo-o asked.

Charjabug, while still reading his comic book, was still listening to his surroundings. "I'd make an educated guess, but we don't really have any leads on where everyone else is."

"Well they're on their way here, obviously." Zweilous reminded, his tone harsh. "Just guess or something."

"Well apparently, we don't have to." Liepard said, seeing that a third plane was now landing.

Two Pokemon, both living in the Kalos region, came out of the plane in the form of a Mareanie and a Delphox.

Mareanie was a star-fish like Pokemon with a purple stalk like body, with ten drooping tentacles on her hair. Most of her body was blue or purple, and her eyes were yellow, while her pupils were blue. Each of her tentacles, with the exception of the one on top of her head, has three spines. The tentacle on the top of her head only had two. She had an additional yellow spine on the top of her head.

Delphox was a bipedal fox Pokemon. She was covered in a dark-red coat of fur resembling a robe. She had red-orange flame like markings near her knees, and a thin tuft white fur on her torso, which was flanked by yellow fur draping from her shoulders, along with a yellow tail. Three tufts of orange fur from each ear, shehad red fur for her forearms resembling sleeves, and her hands and feet were both dark gray. She was also had a stick inside her

"Hmm… this looks like a really diverse bunch here." Delphox complimented.

"Trust me, once you get to know these Pokemon, you'll regret it." Liepard groaned.

"You guys have only known us for about 1 minute and 1 second." Charjabug disclosed.

"...Did I ask for statistics?" Liepard queried in vexation, glaring at the Battery Pokemon.

Mareanie groaned loudly. "Can we just go inside, so that I don't have to hear anyone talk? You guys are stupid."

"Woah, you didn't have be so _Mareane_ about it! Get it, because-"

Mareanie swiftly grabbed the Scaly Pokemon by his small throat. "Tell a shitty joke like that again, and I will bash your head on the cement exactly 10 times!" She threatened, a murderous scowl on her face. This scowl sent chills up Jangmo-o's, and a few others' spines.

Jangmo-o nodded rapidly out of fear, managing to squeak out an "Okay." Before running to hide behind Delphox.

"You guys can't go in yet." A Scizor, who was the pilot for the Kalos residents, announced. "You guys have to wait until the hosts who are with the rest of the contestants."

"Well that's just great." Salazzle groaned, folding her arms. "More unnecessary waiting."

"Hey, maybe they'll get here in a matter of minutes." Delphox reassured.

 **000**

"I'm sorry, but a ride to Skyfall city left about an hour ago." An Empoleon said.

"Wait, we're too late!" Deoxys exclaimed.

"Yep, sorry." The Empoleon responded.

The crew was currently at the Slateport Harbor, and needless to say they were pretty annoyed at the fact that they missed the boat ride.

"Is there gonna be another boat ride to Skyfall?" Luxio asked.

"Yes, but it isn't for another three hours."

"WHAT?!" Meganium bellowed. "I do _not_ feel like waiting any longer…"

"We don't even have to." Illumise asserted. "We _could_ just have one of our hosts _teleport us there!_ "

Mewtwo held his hands up in protest. "Hey, I'm the co-host; I can't actually make that decision."

While Deoxys wanted to make the contestants happy, he still wanted the episode to be a success, and he felt like just teleport straight to the airport would half-ass things.

Deoxys sighed. "It's fine, we can just wait."

"For _three hours_?!" Leafeon yelled. "We've already waited long enough!"

"I mean, we could always just explore the city, in contrast to sitting her complaining." Mudkip suggested.

"Y-yeah, and at least we don't have to worry about any stress or scary things for a long time." Gastly added.

Everyone, with the exception of Shellder, Mudkip, Gliscor, and Torterra gave him annoyed looks, causing the ghost to giggle sheepishly.

"So that's what we're gonna do?" Zangoose asked for clarification. "Just explore for three hours?"

"I guess that's all we can do." Shellder said.

With that, everyone except for the hosts left the harbor.

"So, what do you think the other contestants will have to say about this?" Mewtwo asked.

Deoxys made a cell phone appear from his hand. "We'll have to find out when we eventually get there." He responded, before dialing a number.

 **000**

"It has nearly been an hour since you stated that the other peasants would be here in a matter of minutes." Frillish huffed. "Would you like to retract your baseless statement, Foxy Loxy?"

Delphox rolled her eyes. "It was just something I said to make you guys feel better. And please don't reference that awful movie."

"And besides, it's only been 3 minutes and 35 se-"

"Again, _no one_ asked for statistics." Liepard chastised. "The less talking, the better."

A few moments later, a Toxicroak, who worked at the airport, walked up to the contestants.

"So? Can we go inside?" Salazzle asked in anticipation.

"Yes, you can." Toxicroak answered. "However, Deoxys and the other 13 contestants are at Slateport city, and their boat ride won't leave for another 3 hours-"

"We have to wait for the more hours?!" Bruxish barked. "It already feels like we waited an hour anyway!"

"You guys might as well not complain." Zweilous advised. "We still get to go inside."

"Right, so follow me. We'll go to the hotel lobby." Toxicroak said, as the others complied.

 **000**

About an hour later, the host's were waiting outside of the harbor. They hadn't bothered to say anything to each other, until Mewtwo eventually broke the silence.

"So… why did you decide to tediously wait 3 hours when you could easily just teleport us to the Airport?" Mewtwo questioned.

"I mean… I thought about what the contestants would've wanted, but I also had to think about what would be best for the show, and what everyone watching would want to see." The Alien explained.

Mewtwo facepalmed at his explanation. "Deoxys...you talked about how you needed to make a good first impression for the past several days. Who cares about what the viewers think? They aren't the ones competing."

"I want to make a good first impression, but ratings are important too." Deoxys reminded. "Besides, maybe the contestants are enjoying themselves."

As if on cue, the contestants came back to the harbor in a matter of seconds after Deoxys finished his sentence.

"Yeah, we're bored." Tyranitar drawled. "Can we just go to the airport now?"

"And don't try to make us wait longer just so you can have your 'full episode'." Zangoose added. "We know the deal."

The DNA Pokemon sighed in defeat. "Fine." He said, as he teleported everyone away.

 **000**

The other 9 contestants were loafing around in the hotel lobby. Some, like Charjabug, Jangmo-o, Zweilous and Delphox, were patient, while others, like….everyone else, were impatient.

Suddenly, the two hosts, and the rest of the contestants appeared seemingly from nowhere, much to everyone's pleasant surprise.

"Finally, you guys are here!" Salazzle exulted. "We heard you guys wouldn't leave for another 3 hours!"

"Let's just say he finally came to his senses." Meganium drawled flatly.

"Yeah, let's just say exactly that." Deoxys repeated.

"So, uh… can we get our rooms now?" Jangmo-o asked.

"Not yet." Deoxys started. "I'll give you guys a tour of the airport, then I'll give you your teams, and then you can go to your rooms."

"Um, we've already seen some of the airport on our way here." Liepard claimed, wanting to go to her possible room.

"But _we_ haven't yet." Illumise shot back. "We just got here."

"Besides, the tour is pretty short, anyways." Mewtwo assured. "There isn't too much to see."

Alrighty then, let's go!"

"Wait, did you just say 'Alrighty'?" Mudkip queried.

 **000**

"We have a McDonald's and a Subway across from each other." Deoxys spoke, pointing towards the two restaurants. "On my left, we have the first 27 gates, and on my right, we have gate 28-46…"

"And over there is Sassy's bar and strip club." Mewtwo interrupted, pointing to the far left. "For all of you legal age ladies." He spoke romantically.

Deoxys gave the Genetic Pokémon an unamused looked. "Yeah… that reminds me… who here is legal age?"

Delphox, Illumise, Leafeon, Meganium, and Salazzle all raised an appendage.

Mewtwo groaned. "Aww, I was hoping Liepard would be legal age…"

"Say _what now_?!"

"Ignore that!" Deoxys quickly blurted out, before glaring at Mewtwo. "She isn't legal age, so it doesn't matter, you perv!"

"Why are we even talking about who's legal and who isn't?" Mareanie asked. "Just get on with the tour!"

"Right, right, right." Deoxys repeated rapidly. "Uhh..moving forward…" He continued, as everyone got on an escalator walkway, "We have a Starbucks for those of you who like coffee, and an arcade right across from that."

The group then got off of the walkway. "Here we have gates 47-67 on my right, and gates 68-94 on my left."

Finally, they walked around the Starbucks. "And finally, we have Delcatty's diner. She's known for her very spicy Blaziken wings."

Mewtwo shrugged. "They aren't _that_ spicy. You just need to have a big appetite, and a strong stomach, and you'll be fine."

"So, that's it?" Kirlia asked for clarification. "Do we get our teams and rooms now?"

"Yes, but let's go back to the hote-"

"Oh, just tell us!" Salazzle demanded. "I'm sure we're all anticipating it!"

"Okay, okay!" Deoxys defensively responded. A piece of paper then appeared in front of him

"Team 1 will be named the Sneaky Sceptiles, and it will consist of Jangmo-o, Leafeon, Illumise, Kirlia, Meganium, Gastly, Delphox, Zweilous, Luxio, Gliscor, and Mudkip."

The Sneaky Sceptiles looked at each other. Most of them seemed content with their team, but others, not so much. Illumise wasn't too fond of the male majority, Meganium and Leafeon weren't impressed with the strength of the team, Gastly was scared of half of the team, and Luxio was still creeped out by him.

"Team 2 will be named the Bold Blazikens, and it will consist of Zangoose, Shellder, Mareanie, Torterra, Liepard, Bruxish. Charjabug, Umbreon, Salazzle, Tyranitar, and Frillish."

Unlike the previous team, the only Pokemon that actually seemed satisfied were Charjabug and Torterra.

"I absolutely refuse to be on a team with these ugly peasants!" Frillish protested. "Re-do the teams right this instant!"

"Yeah, I don't wanna be on a team with this bitch either!" Salazzle yelled, scowling at Frillish.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man…" Shellder whimpered. "It's a female majority, and I'm freaking out!" His voice turned into a high pitched squeak.

" _That's_ your biggest concern?" Liepard questioned, giving the clam a look.

"I would rather just not being on a team at all." Zangoose admitted, folding her arms.

:"Yeah, I don't need any of you weaklings!" Tyranitar boasted.

"Would all of you just SHUT UP!?" Mareanie commanded. Luckily for her, silence is exactly what she got.

"Um...okay then.." Deoxys said. "All of your rooms, will be on the 20th floor of the hotel, along with the confessionals. There are also other things to do around there as well. The first challenge will be at Nimbasa city tomorrow, and the flight will leave at around noon. Until then, you guys can pretty much do whatever you want for the rest of the night."

"Sounds great." Liepard stated. "I have a lot on my mind anyway…" She finished, her tone reeking of annoyance.

As the contestants left, Deoxys groaned loudly as he sat on a bench. "Ugh… this episode sucked…."

"Meh, I didn't think it was _that_ bad." Mewtwo replied.

"Mewtwo, I have to ask, how come you _act_ so carefree all the time, yet you were able to get me back into reality at Oledale?" Deoxys asked. "It was as if you actually cared."

"I care about the things that matter, Deoxys." Mewtwo answered. "I honestly could care less about the people who have nothing to do with the show think about it, but I will say that I kinda feel bad that you don't think too highly of it so far."

And with that, Mewtwo teleported away from the vicinity, leaving Deoxys alone, and in thought.

 **000**

 **The confessional was a small, plain room, with a chair and a desk.**

 **Bruxish scoffed in confidence. "With my charm, all the boys will come crawling towards me, and the girls will be jealous as hell. The gay bug may have turned me down, but I'll have the rest of the boys under my control and I will win this. Simple as that."**

 **000**

" **I wonder how things will turn out.." Charjabug pondered. "For poor Mighty Chu! I really hope he turns out okay… stupid cliffhanger!"**

 **000**

" **I need as much Pokemon as possible to trust me." Delphox stated. "That way, when I eventually have to betray them, they won't see it coming…"**

 **000**

 **Frillish huffed. "All of these losers are mere haters. They can not match my class and beauty. All of those folk can go, prick thy face, and over-red thy fear, thou lily-liver'd boy!"**

 **000**

" **N-N-Nimbasa City?" Gastly stammered. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"**

 **000**

" **This is gonna be fun!" Gliscor chirped, as is face morphed into a confused expression. "How come no one else here seems to have a positive attitude? Isn't life a box of chocolates? Sure, you never know what you're gonna get, but boxes of chocolates are still tasty! My mom always told me that, but everyone else said that it was from a movie called-"**

 **000**

" **As I expected, the guys here are annoying as hell." Illumise insulted. "All of them are either childish, pansies, or jackasses!"**

 **She then sighed. "At least most of them don't seem likely to cheat...hell, none of them aren't even likely to get a woman, let alone keep one."**

 **000**

 **Jangmo-o glanced at the room, before smirking at the camera. "You know what, this room looks really** _ **plain**_ **. HAHAHAHAHA, GET IT, BECAUSE-"**

 **000**

" **I hope this show will make me a bit stronger." Kirlia said. "And I especially hope that I evolve into a Gallade while I'm here. Then I won't have to worry about any misgendering."**

 **000**

" **I think it's pretty blatant that I'm the leader of our weak ass team." Leafeon jeered, with a snicker. "Meganium could be the co-leader. She actually seems useful."**

 **000**

 **Liepard glared at the camera. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I** _ **already**_ **miss home! The others are obnoxious, one of the hosts is a pervert, and we probably have to get up early for the challenge tomorrow!" The cat vented.**

" **I came here to get** _ **away**_ **from annoyances, not to find more!"**

 **000**

" **This team seems significantly more pleasant than the other team." Luxio admitted. "But, and I don't want to sound rude, but it could be better. Leafeon's still a bitch, and Gastly is still… creepy." She shuddered at the mere mention of his name.**

 **000**

" **...Why am I even in here?" Mareanie asked tonelessly. She then got up, and knocked down the camera.**

 **000**

 **Meganium grumbled in annoyance as she fixed the camera with her vines. "Our team is weak as hell. The only other Pokemon on this team that seem like promising players are Leafeon, Delphox, and even** _ **Illumise**_ **. Not impressed at all."**

 **000**

 **Mudkip sighed. "I already know that I'm gonna be seen as a weakling. So I need to make some friends, and fast…"**

 **000**

 **Salazzle folded her arms. "Great. Frillish and Bruxish are on our team. Just greeaaat…"**

" **I'm gonna have to whip this team into shape. Slackers will absolutely not be tolerated, and I'm worried those two will do so anyway."**

 **000**

" **Okay, Shellder, just remember the advice Clamperl gave you…" Shellder hyperventilated. He then gulped, "Crap...I can't remember! What am I gonna do?!" He exclaimed, before fainting.**

 **000**

 **Torterra gently moved Shellder out of his way, and bumped him out the door. "A lot of attractive guys** _ **and**_ **girls here, but I'm gonna take my advice and let them come to me. Let's see how it works.."**

 **000**

 **Tyranitar scoffed. "Pansies. All of them. I'm definitely gonna dominate. This is for** _ **you**_ **, Dad."**

 **000**

 **Umbreon deadpanned. "I honestly doubt this show will help me with my anger issues, but it's better than countless 1 on 1's with Medicham all the time."**

" **At least Gastly and Illumise aren't on my team. Discrimination wasn't gonna do me any good."**

 **000**

" **All I need is me, myself, and I." Zangoose declared. "My teammates better not hold me back. No romance, either."**

 **000**

" **This confessional is a damn joke." Zweilous snorted. "But, it's somehow better than I expected, so** _ **maybe**_ **this show will actually be fresh and original.** _ **Maybe**_ …"

 **000**

 **And it's** _ **finally**_ **done. After 8 months of stress, dealing with school, and procrastinating, I finally finished the first chapter of my Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis reboot.**

 **I decided to reboot this because… I honestly had no idea what to do with a number of contestants, and most of the contestants that were in the last story I made just felt one note.**

 ** **This is now my third TPI. Hopefully I'm actually able to finish this one, but only time will tell. Until then, The New Alien On The Block, out.****


	2. This Show is a Roller Coaster

The 22 contestants were currently on a large elevator, standing in silence, as elevator music was playing.

"What's this song called? And who's it by?" Gliscor asked in curiosity. He didn't get an answer, however.

Eventually, they made it to the 20th floor, and they saw a sign. The sign said that the Sneaky Sceptile's rooms were to the left, and that the Bold Blaziken's rooms were to the right.

The teams went to the directions of their respective rooms. The girl's rooms were at the front of the hotel, and the guys' rooms were at the back. The contestants went inside the rooms of their respective gender.

 **000**

When the girls of the Sceptiles opened their room, they were in awe of how big the room was. In the front was a kitchen. There was a big refrigerator, with a freezer on the bottom. Across from the fridge was a microwave on top of small cabins for storage. A stove with an oven was next to the microwave, and there was a tall, bar like table in front of it with two tall chairs.

Behind the kitchen was the dining room. It had a long brown table with four chairs on each side. A small bathroom was behind the table.

Then there was the living room, which just had a long, stretched out gray couch. One side was facing the dining room table, and the other side was facing one of the doors to a bedroom.

There were two more doors for the other two bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms were on each side room, and the third bedroom was in front of the girls.

"Woah… this room is amazing." Delphox complimented, glancing around the room.

"I know, right?" Meganium chimed in. "I'm pleasantly surprised."

Illumise opened a door to one of the bedrooms. There were two beds, and a TV on top of the dresser. There was one nightstand on each side, and they both had alarm clocks.

"It looks like there are supposed to be two of us sleeping in each room." Illumise deduced.

"And since there are five of us, one of us gets a room of our own." Luxio added.

"I'll take a room with Meganium." Leafeon offered. She already felt like she had a connection with her, and that the two could easily talk game with one another.

"Fine by me." Meganium replied.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind being in a room with you, Delphox." Luxio said.

Delphox shrugged. "I'm down."

Illumise grinned. "That means that I get my own room. Nice."

"So what room does everyone want?" Luxio asked.

"Me and Meganium will take the room behind the couch, you and Delphox will take the room at the back, and Illumise takes the room of the door she just opened." Leafeon decided.

Luxio blinked. "Uh...okay?" She responded. She was a little annoyed that Leafeon didn't even give the other girls an option, and just decided their rooms for them, as if they had assigned rooms by default.

"Is there a problem, Luxio?" Meganium asked.

"No, no problems." Luxio assured, forcing out a smile. "We'll be just fine in our rooms."

"So, what do you girls want to do for the rest of the night?" Delphox asked.

"As long as it isn't the Arceus damn strip club, I'm cool with whatever." Illumise said.

"Not that _I_ want to go to the strip club, but why do you specifically not want to go there?" Meganium inquired.

"...Because I _don't_." Illumise reiterated with a significantly harsher tone. "Let's just leave it at that."

"Besides, the strip club is only for horny men who have no goals in life but to have sex all the time." Luxio stated. "They need to find Arceus and let her in their life, maybe then we wouldn't have so many men who-"

"Okay, we don't need a religious lecture, mom." Leafeon interrupted.

"Hey, she isn't entirely wrong, though." Illumise defended. "I know by experience."

"You mean you used to be a stripper?" Delphox inquired.

"No." Illumise quickly answered. "Can we move on to another topic? This is too personal."

"Alright, alright." Meganium complied. "I was actually thinking that we talk to the guys, and see what their strengths are."

"If they have any at all." Leafeon added with a scoff.

"I'd say that I wonder what they're doing right now, but I honestly don't care that much." Illumise muttered.

 **000**

" **As if I already didn't get bad vibes from Leafeon already, this conversation didn't change my opinion of her at all." Luxio groaned.**

 **000**

" **I chose to be in a room with Meganium because I feel like me in her have a lot in common." Leafeon stated. "We're both fierce, we have confident attitudes, and she doesn't look like she takes bullshit either."**

" **Not a fan of Luxio being on our team, though. I do not wanna hear any cookie cutter crap while I'm strategizing, and especially not during competitions."**

 **000**

" **Look, all you need to know is that all my problems with some guys comes from my personal life." Illumise asserted, glaring at the camera. "I probably should've clarified that I don't hate** _ **all**_ **guys. I bet all of them think I'm sexist or some shit, now…"**

 **000**

" **Damn… I actually kinda wanted to hear about Illumise's...issues." Delphox commented. "Based on what I've seen from her, I feel like I could've used it to my advantage…"**

 **000**

In the Male Sceptile's room, the guys had already picked their bedrooms. Gliscor and Jangmo-o, who were both jumping on one of the beds while having a pillow fight, had chosen the bedroom on the left, Mudkip and Gastly took the bedroom on the right, and Kirlia and Zweilous had chosen the bedroom at the back. Wait… Kirlia?

Jangmo-o suddenly stopped bouncing, as Gliscor knocked him off the bed with his pillow. "Ow!"

"Sorry!" Gliscor apologized.

"Um… Kirlia?" Jangmo-o asked. "Why are you in here? Aren't you supposed to be with the girls?"

Kirlia took a deep breath of annoyance. He did not want to deal with this all season. "No, Jangmo-o, because I'm a guy. I look like a girl because of my species, but I just so happen that I'm a male? Do I need to break it down further?"

"Well damn, you didn't have to be so blunt about it." Zweilous said.

Kirlia sighed. He didn't want to be seen as an asshole, but he was tired of being asked the same questions over and over again. 'Why are you in the boys bathroom?' 'How do you sound like a guy?' and now, 'Aren't you supposed to be with the girls?'. "Can we please just drop this?" He pleaded. "I really don't want to talk about this."

"I mean, it's not like I care that much anyway." Zweilous grunted.

"So, um, what do you guys want to do for the rest of the night?" Mudkip asked.

"Ooh, let's go to the arcade!" Gliscor suggested in excitement. "That's always fun!"

"I guess I wouldn't mind doing that." Gastly chimed in.

"You guys can go ahead." Kirlia said. "I'm gonna go see if there's a gym around here."

"I'm just gonna relax in here." Zweilous responded. "I do _not_ feel like looking after any of you."

"Pfft, you party poopers can do all you want. We're gonna have fun." Jangmo-o bragged.

The guys going to the arcade left the hotel room, leaving Kirlia and Zweilous.

"Um, are you waiting on something?" Zweilous questioned.

"No, I just didn't want to leave at the exact same time they were leaving." Kirlia explained.

"...And that's a problem why?"

Kirlia didn't bother to respond, as he walked out of the door. Zweilous rolled his eyes.

 **000**

" **Does he just not like questions or something?" Zweilous queried.**

 **000**

 **Mudkip hummed in thought. "You know, I'm actually kind of glad that Jangmo-o, Gliscor, and Gastly decided to go to the arcade with me. I was thinking of making an alliance with them; from the looks of it, we're definitely the underdogs of the team. I doubt we're really seen as good players, so I could hang out with them to keep myself safe...hopefully."**

 **000**

The girls on the Blaziken's were having issues deciding their rooms revolving... you know who.

"I absolutely refuse to sleep in the same vicinity as any of you plebs!" Frillish hollered. "I shall take a room to myself!"

"That's not how it works you moron!" Salazzle shot back. "There has to be two of us in each room! You aren't allowed to hog one by yourself!"

"Well who's gonna sleep with the bitch?" Liepard queried. "'Cause it sure as hell isn't gonna be me."

"Not it." Zangoose immediately spoke up.

"Not it." Bruxish echoed.

"Not it!" Salazzle yelled, barely even a second later.

"Shit." Mareanie muttered under her breath. "Looks like you're coming with me, princess octoling."

"Absolutely not!"

Mareanie used her hair to grab the Floating Pokemon, before walking to back room. All while Frillish was shouting and flailing her arms in protest. The other girls felt a wave of relief wash over them as Mareanie slammed the door.

"Thank Arceus." Liepard praised.

"Welp, I'm out." Bruxish suddenly announced, as she rapidly floated away.

"Where are you going, exactly?" Salazzle inquired in suspicion.

Bruxish didn't give her an answer, though, as she was already out of the door when Salazzle asked the question. "Yeah, I'm not handling her." She said, as she took the bedroom on the right.

"Good luck, Zangoose." Liepard said in apathy, following Salazzle.

As Liepard shut the door, Zangoose groaned in annoyance. "Some team." She muttered.

Suddenly, Mareanie opened the door. "Problem solved." She said.

Hearing some whimpering, Zangoose took a peek into their room. She saw Frillish curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth.

"Um...what did you do to her?" The Mongoose asked.

"Nothing. I just glared at her and then she started doing this." Mareanie explained.

"...Okay then."

 **000**

" **This team is garbage." Zangoose insulted. "Even ignoring the fact that we have Frillish, this team seems like it's full of a bunch of no good jagoffs. And even the members that don't fall into that category just seem weird."**

 **000**

" **If I'm gonna win this game, I'm not about to be a goody-goody." Bruxish stated. "This game requires manipulation, and I'm gonna work up some of my charm to win this."**

" **I don't give two shits about what my team thinks. There can only be one winner in the end, and that's gonna be** _ **me.**_ "

 **000**

"I call this room, losers!" Tyranitar yelled, running to the door on the right, and immediately slamming it shut.

Umbreon growled, running up to the door. "Hey! You can't just call a room when the rest of us didn't even get a chance to choose! Get the hell out of there!" The Moonlight Pokemon barked banging on the door.

"Make me, you pussy!"

Umbreon growled once more, kicking the door open with his legs. He then turned to the other three guys, Torterra, Shellder, and Charjabug.

"You guys won't want to see this." He said, before closing the door. The other three guys exchanged glances.

Suddenly, they heard muffled screams and lots of bumps, as if objects were being thrown.

Almost immediately after they heard this, Tyranitar rapidly pulled the door open will screaming in a high pitched manner, a horrified look on his face. "YOU. ARE. INSANE!" He screamed, pointing at Umbreon, who had messed his new room up. The Armor Pokemon then ran to room across from Umbreon's, all while screaming in fear, and slammed the door.

Umbreon snickered. "And _I'm_ the pussy, huh?"

Umbreon then closed his door, knowing he'd have to fix his room.

"I'll sleep with Tyranitar." Torterra volunteered. "Because….why not?" He smiled sheepishly as he entered the same room Tyranitar had entered.

Charjabug and Shellder exchanged glances. "I guess it's me and you then." Charjabug said.

"Seems like it."

 **000**

 **Tyranitar glowered at the camera. "You did not see** _ **any**_ **of that!"**

" **...r-right?"**

 **000**

Deoxys was in the living room of The Hall of Origins with a few of the other legendaries. He, along with Palkia, Dialga, and Mew were watching his first episode, and needless to say, they weren't impressed.

"How is Mewtwo so bad at acting?" Mew, Mewtwo's little sister inquired. "I would think he would be a great actor."

Deoxys sighed. "This isn't staged, Mew. This is a real life competition with real life contestants."

"Oooh, okay." Mew understood. "His acting skills could still use some work though."

"Deoxys, I don't wanna sound harsh, but...you need to up your game." Dialga said.

"What my little bro means to say is that this episode is shit." Palkia stated brashly.

"W-what she means to say is-"

"If I didn't mean what I said, then I wouldn't have said it." Palkia retorted, giving the Temporal Pokemon a look.

"Look, I was a little unprepared-"

"A _little_?" Palkia questioned.

Deoxys groaned in agitation. "I was _very_ unprepared, but, tomorrow's a new day, and I have a chance to make it better."

"Deoxys!"

Knowing exactly whose voice it was, Deoxys froze, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face.

"Y-y-yes, A-Arceus?"

"Come see me." She ordered. " _NOW_!"

"Oooh…" Mew trilled.

Deoxys gulped, before teleporting himself away.

"My, I hope she doesn't cancel the show." Dialga fretted. "Then I'd feel bad."

"You feel bad for _everything_ , Dialga." Palkia quipped.

"...Yep, that's me."

 **000**

Deoxys appeared in front of the goddess of the Pokemon world. "What is it, Arceus?"

"Deoxys, the episode was awful." Arceus answered, cutting right to the chase.

"I know, I know." Deoxys said. "But, tomorrow's a new day, and the next episode will be better, I promise."

"How exactly?" Arceus inquired. "You guys don't even know what the prize is supposed to be."

Deoxys eyes widened; he had completely forgotten about the prize! "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" He blustered, with a panicky tone. "I COMPLETELY FORGOT!"

Arceus facelegged as Deoxys continued to freak out, floating in circles. "Okay, Deoxys, _STOP_!"

Deoxys immediately froze in place, his back facing Arceus.

"...And _face_ me."

Deoxys blinked, before chuckling sheepishly. "R-right, I knew that." He replied, feigning confidence, turning towards her. Arceus scared the living hell out of the Alien. With her no-nonsense tone and intimidating look, he had the tendency to take every order she gave literally.

"Where the hell is Mewtwo?" She asked. "Get him over here; you two desperately need a plan."

Deoxys assumed that Mewtwo was still somewhere in the Airport, since he wasn't at the hall. "I think he's still at the airport."

"...Well go find him!" Arceus ordered.

"You got it." Deoxys immediately complied, before teleporting away.

 **000**

"Where could Mewtwo possibly be?" Deoxys asked himself.

He began looking in the arcade. He saw Gliscor trying to use a vending machine with stuffed Pokemon in it… but he wasn't actually using it correctly, as the pulley on top didn't actually move, so he probably didn't put coins it the machine.

Jangmo-o was playing a flappy bird game, which was right next to the vending machine. He couldn't get past the first two tubes, though. Mudkip and Gastly were also there, and they were just watching the other two fail.

"...O-kay then." Deoxys marveled. "I honestly doubt he's in here." Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in his head.

"The strip club…."

Deoxys teleported away. Suddenly, Jangmo-o ran up to the camera. "Huh, I guess Deoxys just had a _bright idea_!" He then burst out laughing as his joke, falling on the floor.

 **000**

Deoxys was now at Sassy's bar and strip club. "Party Monster" by The Weeknd was playing at a really loud volume, and there were a few Pool games going on. Mostly everyone there was drinking liquor or smoking some weed.

The DNA Pokemon was a bit sickened by what he was seeing. Not by the strippers, but by all of the drinking and smoking. He hated both of them, so smelling a mix of weed and liquor made him sick to his stomach.

He eventually spot Mewtwo… in front of a twerking Liepard. Deoxys sighed, as he made his way towards him.

"Nice of you to come here, Deoxys." Mewtwo acknowledged, when he saw the alien.

"It's smells horrible in this place." Deoxys complained.

Mewtwo shrugged, as the Liepard twerked closer to his face. "I mean.. You _did_ build this place so…"

"Wait a minute, is that the _contestant_ Liepard?" Deoxys questioned, preparing for shock.

"No, fool!" The Liepard answered. "Mewtwo's my boo!"

"Oh, m-my bad." Deoxys apologized, a bit embarrassed.

"So, why _are_ you here?" Mewtwo asked.

"Arceus wants us."

Without another word, Mewtwo teleported himself and Deoxys away from the club.

"Boo?"

 **000**

Mewtwo and Deoxys appeared in front of Arceus a second later.

Arceus glanced at the drink the Mewtwo had. "...Do I even need to know where you were?"

"Just know that I was having a good time." Mewtwo boasted, sipping his drink.

Arceus sighed. "Anyways, you two need a plan. Especially regarding the prize."

"Hmm...maybe there should be two prizes." Deoxys suggested. "One of them being money, and the other being a pass that allows their summer vacation to be even longer."

"That...actually sounds promising." Arceus responded. "How are you guys going to handle eliminations."

"Uh...we haven't really thought about that either." Mewtwo said sheepishly.

Arceus groaned. "I guess I probably _should_ help you two out with that."

"So, what were you thinking?" Deoxys asked.

Arceus hummed. "Well, I was thinking that you should only do eliminations on even numbered episodes, so nothing feels half-assed or rushed. And the prizes can probably just be stuff you find in vending machines."

Deoxys gasped. "That sounds perfect! We're definitely doing that!"

The hosts immediately left her room after that. Arceus rolled her eyes. "You're welcome." She muttered to herself.

 **000**

Zweilous was taking a nap on the couch, while snoring. In between snores, he was talking to himself in his sleep.

"But mommy, it's summertime.." He muttered. "Why do I have to read?"

His slumber was suddenly interrupted when Meganium kicked the door open. Zweilous yelped as he abruptly woke up. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

As the other girls walked inside the room as well, Meganium glanced around the room, before glaring at Zweilous. "Where the hell are the other guys?" She interrogated.

"Kirlia went to see if there was a gym, and the other 4 went to the arcade." Zweilous answered, irritation in his voice. Sure, he was saved from the summer reading program, but he still didn't like that the girls just bust into his room without warning.

"Ugh...why am I not surprised?" Leafeon groaned.

"May I ask how and why you're here?" Zweilous inquired in annoyance.

"You're door wasn't locked, doofus." Meganium quipped.

Zweilous' invisible eye twitched. Why didn't Kirlia bother to lock the door!?

"We _were_ gonna ask you guys what your strengths were, to see if you would be useful in challenges, but this was clearly pointless, as I expected." Illumise sneered.

"Now hold on, we still have Zweilous." Delphox reminded.

"That's me." Zweilous said, giving a fake, cheeky smile.

"...What are your strengths, exactly?" Leafeon questioned.

"You don't need to know." The Two-headed dragon answered. "I know how this type of show works. Everything that you want to know about me can be used against me later in the game. All you need to know about me at this point is what I'm showing right now."

"That you're a jackass that doesn't care for the betterment of the team?" Illumise asked rhetorically.

"You can interpret what I said however you'd like." Zweilous responded. "So, whatever, let's just go with that."

"Well, at least we tried." Luxio attempted to console.

"And that was pointless apparently." Meganium grumbled.

"Hey, you girls didn't _have_ to come in here." Zweilous retorted, but they were already gone, much to his relief.

 **000**

 **Zweilous shrugged. "Honestly, that was just really childish on their part." He commented. "Too bad the other guys weren't here to see this, considering we have the majority."**

 **000**

The guys that had went to the arcade had gotten 8 slices of pizza, two for each. They didn't have to pay for it, since everything was for free for the Airport Tropolis. All they had to do was tell the employees that they were part of the show, and then they just ordered their pizzas.

Jangmo-o smelled his pizza, before sighing in delight. "This pizza smells amazing!"

"B-be careful, Jangmo-o." Gastly cautioned. "It's really hot."

"You have to blow into it to make the smoke go away." Gliscor said. "Like this." He then softly blew on the pizza. "My mom taught me that."

"Uh, I know how to do this." Jangmo-o assured. "You guys just need to chillax."

"...Chillax?" Mudkip questioned the small dino's choice of words.

"Um...yeah. It's chill and relax put together." Jangmo-o explained.

"Oh...uh...okay, then." Mudkip responded, perplexed. "A-Anyways, I was wondering if you three would like to be in an alliance with me."

"That sounds cool!" Gliscor complimented. "What is that?"

The Mud Fish Pokemon blinked. "It's a small group of teammates who decide to work together, to get themselves further in the game."

"But don't we already have a team?" Gliscor asked.

"Y-yeah, won't our team think we're working against them?" Gastly added with concern.

"Uh…" Mudkip trailed off. He hadn't thought about that at all. "We...just can't let them find out then?" He answered with a question, smiling sheepishly.

"C'mon, guys, let's show some confidence and just have fun." Jangmo-o said, patting Mudkip on his back. "I'm sure Muddy has this under control."

"Muddy?"

"Hey, I'm having fun!" Gliscor cheered, munching and smacking on his pizza.

"I guess you're right." Gastly said, although he was still tentative about this. "This could work."

"That's the _spirit_!" Jangmo-o cheered, before smirking. "Pun intended."

The other three just stared at Jangmo-o, before Gliscor spoke up. "Oh, I get it!"

 **000**

" **Okay, so that worked out well." Mudkip said. "Now for the plan…"**

" **...Wait, I don't have one. Crap."**

 **000**

" **Everyone seems to be looking at the game in a negative manner." Jangmo-o stated. "So it's my duty to keep the positivity flowing and keep everyone happy with my jokes."**

" **It doesn't look like it's working for the rest of the team, though. Or even the other team, for that matter."**

 **000**

Charjabug and Shellder were in their room, browsing channels to watch something.

Charjabug continued clicking on the remote, until he saw ' _Revenge of The Nerds_ ' playing.

"Ooh, ooh, let's watch that!" Shellder suggested excitedly. "That's my favorite movie!"

"Really?" Charjabug asked. "Mine too! What's your favorite part of it?"

"When the nerds were fixing the house." Shellder replied. "It proved that nerds can actually make themselves useful."

Charjabug gasped. "Oh my Arceus, same!" He beamed. "And it's very fitting that we're at the part right now."

Shellder nodded, before saying, "You know...this is probably the most social I've really been to anyone. It's even hard for me to keep a comment going with my sister."

"Yeah, I can relate." Charjabug admitted. "I'm not really that social myself since I don't have anything in common with anyone at my school."

"Ugh, same." Shellder groaned. "Socializing is hard...especially with girls.."

The tiny nerds sat in silence for a few seconds, until Charjabug cleared his throat. "So, uh...what _is_ your problem with girls, exactly?"

Shellder immediately blushed in embarrassment, looking downward. "I-I don't know...I just feel really tense whenever I'm near girls, when they're talking or looking at me, when _I'm_ talking to them…"

"Why _do_ you feel that way, exactly?"

"I'm just worried some girls will think I'm weird or something." The Clam answered. "Girls are really scary when they're mad." He squeaked, shuddering a bit.

"True." Charjabug agreed. "I'm honestly glad that I'm gay because of that."

Shellder sighed. "I would be nice if I didn't have this issue, because I feel like it could affect my game."

Charjabug sighed with him. "Same, Shellder, same."

 **000**

" **I think me and Shellder will be outstanding acquaintances in this game." Charjabug spoke confidently with a smile. "Our duo should be called the….uh...the double dorks. Yeah, that's perfect!"**

 **000**

" **Charjabug is legitimately the first Pokemon that I've actually felt comfortable having and keeping a conversation with...besides my sister." Shellder admitted.**

" **I don't know why but talking and hanging out with him just feels...for lack of a better word, stimulating."**

 **000**

Tyranitar and Torterra sat in silence in their room, their backs facing each other. The former had his arms folded, with a pissed look on his face, while the latter had a more anxious look. He was trying to take his own advice that he had given Shellder earlier today, but Tyranitar wouldn't say anything. The Continent Pokemon couldn't take the silence any longer; he had to make a move.

Torterra cleared his throat. "So, uh, Tyranitar….where do you live?"

Tyranitar immediately turned to glare at the Tortoise. "Why the hell are you asking me that?" He inquired bluntly.

"...Just to know?"

"You don't need to know." Tyranitar answered, still glaring at Torterra. "And don't even think about asking me anything like that ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Torterra nodded slowly, a bit frightened.

Seeing his expression, Tyranitar's glare softened. "I'm going to sleep. Do whatever you want, but don't disturb me."

Torterra sighed. "Alright." He complied, leaving the room.

As soon as Torterra closed the door, Tyranitar let out a loud sigh of relief...and sadness.

 **000**

" **Why the hell is Torterra trying to make moves on me?" Tyranitar questioned. "It's pretty obvious that he likes me, and that is that last thing that** _ **anyone**_ **needs to see."**

 **He then sighed. "Especially not my dad. I wonder what he's thinking watching this right now…"**

 **000**

Umbreon put his lamp back up on his night stand while grumbling to himself. He honestly had no idea why Tyranitar would test his patience, knowing that he had an anger problem. But nope, he decided to be a dick and get his ass beat, anyway.

Umbreon sighed. "Well, there's no use staying in here all night. I should find some allies in this game." He said, before leaving his bedroom.

Because of his anger issues, the Dark type Eeveelution felt like he needed to form an alliance, so that no one saw him as the ticking time bomb that was eliminated early.

Ironically, the two Pokemon who he was thinking of forming an alliance with, Salazzle and Liepard, walked out of the door across from them.

"Oh, uh...hi girls." Umbreon greeted.

Salazzle and Liepard exchanged glances, before turning back to face Umbreon. "Where are you going?" Liepard asked.

"Well...I was actually wondering if I could go wherever you two are going." The Moonlight Pokemon responded.

The girls exchanged another glance. "We're about to go to Delcatty's diner and see how their food tastes." Salazzle said.

"So...can I come with?"

"Uh..sure, you can come." Liepard said hesitantly. "Let me make a confessional first, though.

"Good, good." Umbreon said in relief, thinking that the girls wouldn't let him due to his short temper.

 **000**

" **Umbreon is acting...strangely calm." Liepard acknowledged. "I wonder what's up with him; it makes me a little suspicious…"**

 **000**

" **I want to make an alliance with Liepard and Salazzle, because I feel like those two will be the most focused in the game." Umbreon explained. "I honestly doubt that they trust me yet, but I need to show them that I can be just as worthy as I can be."**

 **000**

The three of them were now making their way to Delcatty's diner, and on their way there, something lingered in Salazzle's mind.

"Ugh, what Bruxish did earlier is still bugging me." Salazzle grunted.

"What exactly did she do?" Umbreon asked.

"She just said 'Welp, I'm out' and just abruptly left without telling us where she was going." Liepard responded. "She's sketchy as hell."

As they were walking they caught a glimpse Bruxish...who seemed like she was talking to a few other Pokemon.

"Speak of Giratina…" Umbreon groaned.

The three of them walked behind the wall of McDonalds so that they wouldn't be noticed. They couldn't really hear what Bruxish was saying, but she was flirting with the guys that were coming back from the arcade.

"Would any of you handsome boys wanna let me ride on you tonight?" Bruxish asked the four of them in a seductive manner. They exchanged glances.

"Um...I-I don't really want to lose my virginity so young." Gastly said meekly, while slowly floating away from her.

"Same." Mudkip agreed. "Plus, I'm small, so you'd crush me." He added, following the Cowardly ghost.

"I don't know what virginity means, but I could give you a piggyback ride!" Gliscor suggested out of nowhere.

Bruxish deadpanned. "...No, that's not what I meant."

"Oh. Then I can't help you. Sorry." Gliscor replied, sounding a bit disappointed, before following after the other two.

"Yeah, I'm sure a night with you would forever be in my _nightmares_!" Jangmo-o burst, before letting out a loud chuckle. "I'm amazing."

As the four of them left, the Psychic type fish groaned to herself. "These guys are making my job way harder than it needs to be."

Bruxish then went back to the hotel with the guys, as the three watching them could not believe their eyes.

"Is that bitch seriously trying to get with members of the other team!?" Salazzle whisper-shouted, as they continued to make their way to the restaurant.

"Looks like it." Umbreon answered her rhetorical question. "We _cannot_ keep her around for long."

"I doubt she'll be helpful anyway." Liepard stated. "She was talking about how she's just gonna pay the game "her way" and she obviously only cares about getting a boyfriend. We have to tell the others on our team."

"Nah, I think we can let her off the hook for now." Salazzle said. "We haven't had a challenge yet, and who knows, she _could_ be useful."

"You do have a good point." Umbreon said. "Not to mention we have Frillish on our team. She's a universal annoyance."

"Exactly." Salazzle agreed. "She's definitely going first if we lose. _Then_ we'll worry about Bruxish."

"Hey, look, there's Delcatty's diner." Liepard pointed out, pointing towards the restaurant.

"Hopefully this food is actually good." Umbreon muttered.

 **000**

" **Bruxish is a Psychic type, which is one of the most powerful types out there." Salazzle said "So I don't think it'll be smart to eliminate a possible asset just yet."**

" **If I catch her doing this shit again, though, I'm definitely telling the rest of them team, and she'll probably leave first then."**

 **000**

The wait for the three of them to get seated took almost a half hour to get seated, and it was taking even longer for them to get their food.

After nearly an hour of impatient waiting, their Hot Blaziken Wings and shared fries had finally came.

"Took you guys long enough." Umbreon stated in annoyance. "Seriously, though, what the hell took so long?!"

"There are a lot guests here." the Stoutland Waiter answered. "So we had to do a lot of multitasking. If it makes you feel any better, almost everyone here has waited as long as you guys, or is still waiting now."

Umbreon deadpanned. "No, no it doesn't make me feel better."

Stoutland blinked. "Okay then...we'll be ready with your drinks in a sec."

"Well hurry up then!" The Eeveelution yelled.

Startled by his outburst, the Stoutland immediately scurried away, while the girls that were sitting across from him gave him looks.

Umbreon cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. I'm cool now."

"O-kay then." Liepard marveled. "So, Umbreon, why did you decide to come with us? Is something up?"

"Oh, right." Umbreon remembered, as he had somehow forgotten that he wanted to propose an alliance to the two of them. "I wanted to form an alliance with the two of you."

The girls were a little surprised at this, as they didn't think Umbreon would be the type to want to be in an alliance.

"Um, why?" Salazzle asked. "I wouldn't mind having an alliance since you do need allies in the game, but why would you want to be in an alliance with us?"

"Well, for they same reason that you just said. You need allies in this game." Umbreon replied. "And I felt like you two would be the best fit because of your attitudes of the game."

Liepard hummed in thought. "You do have a good point, but I'm not sure if I want to jump right in to an alliance when we haven't even had the first challenge."

"I agree." Salazzle said. "We'll have to think about this."

Umbreon sighed in slight disappointment. "Okay, that's fine." He said, before taking a bite into one of his hot wing, as he recoiled in shock due to how spicy it was. "AHHH! THIS SHIT IS SO SPICY! WHERE ARE OUR ARCEUS DAMN DRINKS?!"

 **000**

" **That didn't necessarily go as well as I thought it would, but at least they didn't say no." Umbreon said sheepishly.**

" **Arceus...** _ **please**_ **let them accept my offer."**

 **000**

After nearly an hour of searching, Kirlia finally found a weight room gym. The weight room had a bunch of auxiliary machines that he had never seen and had no idea how they worked, which made him a little nervous, as he had no idea what he was getting into.

He then saw a few weight benches, and he saw Zangoose by one of the benches, putting a 35 pound plate on each side of the bar. Seeing her inspired him to try and lift one, despite not knowing the first thing about lifting weights. But hey, if a girl could do it, so could he, right?

The Emotion Pokemon walked over to one of the benches, and saw a 45 pound plate on each side, causing him to gulp in nervousness. But, wanting to outdo Zangoose, he just went with the weight anyway.

"Welp, here goes nothing." He sighed, slowly lifting the weight off bar holder and lowering it down to his chest...but when it got to his chest, he couldn't lift it back up at all, as he struggled and strained trying.

Once Zangoose finished her set, she immediately took notice of this and gasped. She immediately rushed up to his bench to help him lift the weight, and she put it back on the bar holder.

"Dude, what the hell were you thinking lifting this heavyweight?!" Zangoose scolded, glaring at Kirlia. "Do you realize how dangerous this is!? You can't just find some weight and lift it without knowing what the hell you're doing!"

"U-uh.." Kirlia stuttered, not knowing what to say. "I just wanted to try lifting something just to see how it felt! I didn't think it would be _that_ heavy!"

Zangoose gave him a look. "...Really? You just lifted 135 pounds! That's over 3 times your weight!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Kirlia yelled defensively. "It was a bad idea!"

"Kirlia, this isn't just a case of "I get it"." Zangoose hissed. "What you just did was actually dangerous and it could've _killed_ you."

"W-wait, wh-"

" _Attention, guests, the weight room is now closing. Anyone in the weight room must exit._ " Someone announced on the PA.

The Mongoose groaned. "See you in the first challenge i guess." She said, before walking away.

Meanwhile, Kirlia was still sitting on the bench, trying to process everything that he was told.

 **000**

" **Arceus, I don't know what was more frightening. Zangoose's yelling, or the apparent fact that I could've** _ **died**_ **!" Kirlia gasped, his eyes bulging.**

 **000**

" **I don't think I've yelled at anyone any louder than how I just did." Zangoose said. "I may seem nonchalant, but I don't want to see anyone nearly kill themselves. Even if it's because of their own stupidity."**

 **000**

It was now 11:00 PM, and everyone had settled in for the night. Well...almost everyone.

 **000**

Mareanie was sleeping peacefully in her room with Frillish, and not a snore was heard. Frillish, on the other hand, was snoring like a loud Grumpig, but that wasn't enough to wake the Brutal Star Pokemon.

However, her slumber was unfortunately interrupted when she heard Frillish talking to herself in her sleep, causing her to immediately open her red eyes.

"Thank you all so very much!" Frillish spoke loudly. "I will make a great queen to all of you, and you will bow down!"

Mareanie growled and twitched in annoyance. Why did _she_ have to get Frillish?

"This is such bullshit." She muttered, before getting up out of her bed. The Water/Poison type walked up to the Water/Ghost type, and nudged her. This immediately woke the jellyfish up.

"Hey, could you uh...shut up?" Mareanie asked with a demanding look and tone. "That would be really nice, as I would like to get some sleep, and I highly doubt that you want to get pummeled this late."

Mareanie walked back to her bed, as Frillish stared at her in horror.

 **000**

 **Frillish shuddered. "That is one creepy woman."**

 **000**

Soon enough, morning arrived, and-

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

...The alarm clocks went off in all of the contestant's rooms.

 **000**

"Ugh, what the hell?!" Liepard shrilled, as the obnoxiousness of the alarm immediately woke her up.

Meanwhile, her roomate, Salazzle woke up more peacefully. "Not used to using alarms, eh?"

"No." Liepard answered bluntly. "I don't even use them for school! Why are you so calm?"

"I'm used to getting up around this time." Salazzle answered. "Just to get an early workout. Plus, I have more time to do other things."

"Well screw that." Liepard snarled. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Okay, but you'll have to get up eventually." Salazzle reminded. "We have a challenge today at noon."

Salazzle then left the room, as Liepard buried her head into her pillow in annoyance.

 **000**

" **Deoxys better not do this shit before** _ **every**_ **challenge." Liepard groaned.**

 **000**

"Ugh, why did the alarm have to go off so early?" Leafeon groaned, getting up out of her bed. "We aren't going to Nimbasa City until noon!"

"I guess it's so the idiots here won't sleep in when we need to get there." Meganium suggested. "It _is_ pretty stupid though."

Leafeon and Meganium then left their rooms, and they saw Luxio and Delphox already on the couch.

"Good morning, you two." Luxio greeted.

"Is Illumise not up yet?" Meganium asked, ignoring Luxio.

As if on cue, Illumise opened her bedroom door. "I'm here." She announced.

"Good." Meganium said. "Now that everyone's here, I'd like to propose an alliance with all of you."

The other four were surprised. Mostly Luxio and Leafeon, since they didn't want to be in an alliance together as they didn't get along very well.

"Why did you want an alliance, Meganium?" Delphox asked.

"Because the guys are _useless_!" Meganium bluntly replied. "Did you see how Zweilous acted last night? He didn't even give us any answers that would be helpful to the team! Not to mention the other guys weren't even at the meeting, and considering who they are, I doubt they'll be helpful either."

"That is true." Illumise said. "And with the acception of Kirlia and maybe Mudkip, they're all pretty annoying. So I'm down."

"Meh, I'll do this too." Leafeon said. "We may be the minority sex, but I doubt those bozos will be smart enough to even try to go against us, anyways."

"In that case, I'm in as well." Delphox chimed in. " It would be nice to be in a five person alliance this early in the game."

The girls then turned towards Luxio, who was a bit hesitant because, with the exception of Delphox, the girls rubbed her the wrong way. But she felt like if she refused, the girls would go against her entirely, and knowing Leafeon, she'd make it really easy for herself, and the others to go against her.

Luxio sighed. "I'm in." She finally confirmed.

"Perfect." Meganium approved, grinning. "Delcatty's Diner does breakfast, so I'm gonna go there. You girls can come with me if you want."

"I'll go there too." Leafeon said, following the Dinosaur as if they were sisters.

"I'm gonna get some more rest." Illumise said. "It's too early for this."

"You know what...same." Luxio said flatly, as she walked back into her room.

As Luxio walked back into her room, Delphox looked at her as if she was in deep thought.

 **000**

" **What...did I just get myself into?" Luxio asked herself.**

 **000**

Gastly, who had gotten up before the alarm even went off since he had a nightmare, was the only contestant on the guys side of the Sceptiles, and he was cooking pancakes and bacon, while humming a tune to himself. He loved cooking, especially for other Pokemon. It really cleared his mind, considering that he felt on edge due to all of the clashing personalities here.

Thankfully for him, most of the Pokemon that rubbed him the wrong way were on the other team, but he still had Luxio on his team, who gave him a creepy death stare yesterday, and he knew she would probably do it again the next chance she got-

"What are you cooking?"

Gastly yelped in shock, as he let go of the pan with the pancakes on them...and he successfully flipped them, causing him to sigh in relief. "H-hey, Mudkip, you startled me."

"Sorry about that." Mudkip apologized, chuckling sheepishly. "So, uh...why are you up so early?"

Suddenly, Zweilous shoved his bedroom door open. "What the hell is with the alarm clocks and all the yelling at 7:30 AM?!" The two-headed dragon type barked in aggravation.

Less than a few seconds later, Gliscor burst out of his room, holding Jangmo-o in his arms. "Guys, I think something's wrong with Jangmo-o! The alarm clock went off and he didn't wake up!"

Zweilous "rolled his eyes" before walking up to Gliscor and smacking Jangmo-o across his face.

"AH!" Jangmo-o immediately yelled as he woke up. "What the hell?!"

"Yay! You're Okay!" Gliscor cheered, as he hugged the baby dino, squeezing him tightly.

"ACK, yes I'm fine! You can stop squeezing me!" He struggled to say. Gliscor then dropped, as he took deep breaths of relief.

Kirlia then walked out of his and Zweilous' room. "What hell just broke loose in the past 10 seconds?" He asked.

Jangmo-o sniffed. "I have a _burning_ desire to find out what that burning smell is."

Gastly, who was witnessing everything that had happened ever since Mudkip entered the scene, gasped, before turning around, screaming in a high pitched manner. The bacon was burning! "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" He babbled, scrambling in search for a plate to put the bacon on.

Eventually, he found a small white plate...which was actually right by him the who time, and he just poured all of the bacon onto that plate. He then found a larger plate to put the pancakes on, and poured all of them on that plate. The other guys just watched his swift movement in awe.

The ghost ten turned both flames off, before taking several deep breaths. "B-breakfast is ready…" He announced, giggling sheepishly.

The other guys walked over to the food, and they didn't really say anything, making Gastly think that they were disappointed, as he let out a defeated sigh.

"This...actually looks pretty good." Jangmo-o said, as he tasted a piece of the bacon. "The bacon is a little burned, but it isn't terrible."

"Oh, uh...really?" Gastly asked, surprised.

"Mmm, the pancakes are delicious!" Kirlia complimented. "Probably some of the best I've ever tasted!"

Gastly blushed at the comment. "Uh...thanks." He shyly said, with a smile.

 **000**

 **Gastly let out a loud sigh of relief. "Thank Arceus, they liked it. That was nerve-wracking."**

" **...Well,** _ **everything's**_ **nerve wracking for me, but still…"**

 **000**

 **Zweilous hummed. "So the scaredy ghost actually got up early to make breakfast, eh? He could actually be a worthy player…"**

" **I may have to watch out for him…"**

 **000**

All of the girls on the Blazikens were awake other than Frillish and Liepard...but let's not pretend anyone cared about the former, anyway. Zangoose was in the shower, while the other three girls waited in the living room.

After taking a few minutes to rest, Liepard came out of her room, but she looked like she didn't get any rest at all.

"You..still look very tired." Salazzle noticed. "Did you go back to sleep?"

"No, no I didn't." Liepard growled through grit teeth. "I can usually go back to sleep easily, but that alarm was so damn loud that it was ringing in my head...so I couldn't go back to sleep."

"Ugh, same." Mareanie groaned. "If Deoxys even thinks about doing this again, he'll be history. I'll let the rest of you girls decide what that means."

Bruxish couldn't help laughing at their misfortune. "Damn, sucks to be you girls. Meanwhile, I slept like a Jigglypuff."

The other three glared at her, causing her to clear her throat, and go silent.

A few moments later, Zangoose came out of the bathroom, with a blue hair towel wrapped around her head. She immediately turned her attention towards Bruxish. "So Bruxish...why did you just leave so suddenly last night?"

Bruxish gave her a look. "May I ask why you care?"

"Because it was so _sudden_!" Zangoose exclaimed. "It made you look shady as hell!"

"Why didn't you bring this to me last night?" Bruxish asked. "Talking about this now in front of the other girls makes it look like you just want attention for _your_ benefit. _That_ is shady."

"She does have a point." Mareanie chimed in. "Not that I care, though."

Zangoose groaned at the pink fish's lack of submission. "I didn't ask you last night because I was tired...and I had other morons to deal with." She muttered, still thinking about her encounter with Kirlia last night.

"...Be more specific…" Bruxish ordered. She felt like that if the others could get up in her business, then she could question what others were doing as well, even if she didn't really care that much.

"No." Zangoose immediately replied. "If you aren't gonna tell anyone where _you're_ going, then I don't need to either tell you shit, either."

With that, Zangoose took her towel off of her head, tossed it on the floor, and left the room. Bruxish scoffed and rolled her eyes. "How childish."

"I mean...you practically did the same yesterday…" Liepard reminded.

Salazzle sighed. "Yep. This team is off to a _great_ start." She drawled sarcastically.

"So um...is Frillish ever going to wake up?" Bruxish asked.

"Don't." Mareanie ordered. "I say we let her sleep. That way, when we get called down for the challenge, we'll probably get disqualified for leaving her, and we'll get to vote her out."

Liepard hummed. "Hmm...that's actually a great idea. None of us like her, anyway."

"Fine by me." Salazzle agreed.

 **000**

Torterra sighed as he plopped himself onto the couch, still thinking about Tyranitar. He wasn't awake yet, so he decided not to disturb him, but he was still thinking about the way that he talked to him.

"Hey, Torterra." Charjabug greeted, as he and his new pal Shellder crawled and hopped out of their bedroom. "You feeling alright?"

"Eh...I'll be honest...I could be doing better." Torterra admitted in a somber tone.

"Is it about Tyranitar?" Shellder asked.

"Uh, actually, yes." Torterra answered, a little surprised that the clam was able to figure it out so easily. "How'd you know?"

"Because you were gazing at him flirtatiously for the entire ride on the way here. And you volunteered to stay with him in your bedroom."

The Tortoise blushed, chuckling sheepishly. "Yep, guilty as charged."

"So, what about Tyranitar has you so down?" Charjabug asked.

Torterra's blush got redder. "Well, to be honest...I have a crush on him."

"Yeah...and?" Shellder asked. "No offense and all, but that was kind of obvious."

"Well, I tried to talk with him, but he just...shot me down," Torterra responded. "It just made me feel bad for some reason."

"Hmm...maybe you should just give him a little space and let him come to you." Shellder suggested. "After all, that's the advice you gave me."

"But I tried to do that," Torterra whined. "But we just sat there in awkward silence for 15 minutes, and I couldn't take it anymore!"

Umbreon, who was eating Rice Krispies cereal, dropped his spoon, and turned his head around to give Torterra a look. "Dude, seriously? 15 minutes of silence is not space. You need to give the poor little soul _actual_ space."

"That's gonna be pretty hard considering that we sleep in the same room." Torterra muttered.

"I don't really mean that you should stop talking to him entirely if you like him, but you should only talk to him when it's _necessary_." The Dark type clarified.

Torterra thought about what Umbreon was saying, before sighing. "It'll be hard, but...it's worth a try."

"Good." Umbreon replied, actually smiling. "Because I do not feel like hearing you sulk all day over jack shit."

"Well then….that worked out well." Shellder stated.

"Pancakes and Sausage for Breakfast?" Charjabug asked him.

"That's _precisely_ what I was thinking!" Shellder beamed.

"Guys...don't make me barf this early." Umbreon groaned, glaring at the little guys.

 **000**

" **Welp, I hope this works." Torterra hoped. "It'll take a lot, though."**

 **000**

A few hours later…

" _ATTENTION AIRPORT TROPOLIS CONTESTANTS, PLEASE REPORT TO GATE 45 FOR THE FIRST CHALLENGE OF THE SEASON! YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES!"_

 **000**

Meganium and Leafeon made their way to gate 45 together, and it didn't take long for them to find it.

"Oh, there's the gate right over there." Meganium pointed out, gesturing one of her vines to her right.

The girls then found a seat near the exit, just so they could be first couple...or at least one of the first couple on the airport.

Leafeon still had the alliance deal the Meganium made earlier in the back of her mind. As much as she wanted an alliance, she didn't want to associate herself with Luxio, despite being on the same team.

"So...Meganium, when you said you wanted to propose an alliance to all of the girls, did you really mean _all_ of us?" The grass type eeveelution asked.

"Of course." Meganium clarified. "Why are you asking?"

"Well, I have to ask...why _Luxio_?" Leafeon queried. "She's annoying as hell, and her personality has nothing to offer other than shitty platitudes."

"Look, I don't like her either." Meganium began. "But, considering we're the minority sex, we need her for votes."

Leafeon sighed. "That is true...I really wish we had more valuable players. That way, this wouldn't even be an issue."

"Well, it's not like we can do anything about it." Meganium stated.

As soon as Meganium finished speaking, the "Chill Crew" consisting of Gastly, Jangmo-o, Mudkip, and Gliscor had arrived. Jangmo-o was cracking jokes, while the others were laughing.

"And I also wish the other contestants would get here soon." Leafeon muttered in annoyance.

 **000**

"So, should we join him?" Liepard asked. She and Salazzle were now making their way to the gate, still thinking about Umbreon's offer.

"I still don't know yet." Salazzle responded. "He seems like he could be a worthy player, but his anger issues could reflect poorly on us if we do align with him."

"Yeah, that _could_ be an issue." Liepard said. "But, the earlier we make allies, the better, and Umbreon just might be our only option, other than Zangoose and maybe Mareanie."

Salazzle groaned. "Shit...you may be right. I still have to think about this, though."

"Same, honestly." Liepard sighed.

 **000**

" **At this point, I definitely think we should align with him." Liepard stated. "We don't really have that many other options, and Umbreon actually seems like he'll be faithful to the team, even with his anger problems. Besides, we need allies early in the game."**

 **000**

A few minutes later, almost everyone had arrived at gate 45, with Frillish and Tyranitar being the exceptions. Deoxys glanced around the gate, before noticing this.

"Uh, Blazikens? You guys are missing two members." The Alien pointed out.

"I'm here." Everyone heard. This was Tyranitar. He had an unenthusiastic expression glued to his face, as he sat far away from everyone.

Torterra had glanced at him for a few seconds, before seeing the look the Umbreon gave him, causing him to quickly turn his head away from both of them. " _Stay strong, Torterra, stay strong…"_ The Tortoise told himself.

"So, uh...where's Frillish?" Mewtwo asked.

There was a few seconds of silence, before Mareanie spoke up. "We don't know where she went. She just woke up early and left the room."

"Yeah, that." Salazzle 'agreed', "Unfortunately, you'll probably have to disqualify us."

"You guys are seriously just giving in like that?" Zweilous inquired.

"Yeah, why would you guys want to disqualify yourselves when I could just do this?" Deoxys asked, as a sleeping Frillish suddenly teleported to the vicinity out of nowhere, and dropped to the floor. This immediately woke her up.

"What on earth?!" She yelled, before glaring at Deoxys. "How dare you wake me from my slumber?!"

Everyone from both teams groaned in aggravation.

"Deoxys, _why_?" Liepard whined.

Deoxys sighed. "I know you guys find her annoying, but why didn't you even bother to wake her up?"

"You just answered your own question." Bruxish expressed, deadpanning.

"Anyways...first of all, I forgot to announce that there would be a prize last night."

"You seriously forgot the most important part of the show?" Delphox questioned. "How?"

"Uh...don't worry about it." Deoxys responded sheepishly. "While you will get the typical million poke, you will also get a pass that allows your summer vacation to be even longer by two months, assuming that you adults are going to college."

"Wow, really?" Illumise asked. "That's perfect!"

"Yeah!" Gliscor cheered. "Wait, where's college?"

"Dude, there isn't just one specific college." Mewtwo expressed. "There are plenty all around every main region, and even outside of that."

"...Huh?"

"Let's just move on." Deoxys interrupted. "We're flying to Nimbasa city today and the challenge involves the biggest attraction there; the amusement park. Your task is to earn as much coins as possible playing carnival games in the span of 2 hours, simple as that. The team that wins that challenge will get to choose something for the next part of the challenge."

"Choose what, exactly?" Charjabug inquired.

"You'll find out when that challenge is over." Deoxys answered. "Onto the plane!"

Everyone then followed the host to the plane, and Gliscor was in awe from what he saw.

"Woah, it that what planes look like?" Gliscor asked. "That's so cool!"

"You've never seen a plane before?" Illumise asked in bewilderment. "Did you pay attention in school!?"

"Of course! I don't remember anything about planes, though."

 **000**

" **Why does Gliscor act like he has no idea what the hell goes on around him?" Delphox queried.**

" **I think I've found my target."**

 **000**

The flight to Nimbasa City took 3 hours, and when the plane landed, the challenge immediately started.

The amusement park at Nimbasa city was just recently built, and the city became one of the most visited cities in the Pokemon world because of it. It had some of the tallest and fastest roller coasters, carnival games, and of course, the iconic Ferris Wheel.

After landing, the Sceptiles immediately split up, but Salazzle called the Blazikens over.

"Why the hell are you holding us back?!" Tyranitar abrasively questioned. "We need to start the challenge!"

"Because we need to plan, dumbass." Salazzle responded in a brash manner.

"For what, though?" Zangoose queried. "This is a pretty self explanatory challenge."

Salazzle pinched her nose in annoyance. If the _whole team_ refused to be compliant, they wouldn't be able to win anything. "First of all, we need a park map. This park is only like..less than a year old, so I doubt any of you have been here before, myself included."

"I mean, you don't really know that." Torterra chimed in.

The salamander deadpanned. "Raise an appendage if you've been here before."

As Salazzle suspected, no one raised their hand. "Yeah...I didn't think so."

Frillish scoffed. "I don't need a bloody map, I have my 5 senses!"

"Good. Then you can leave." Liepard ordered. "And don't even think about meeting back up with us unless you get some coins. And check that attitude of yours."

"Also, there are 6 senses." Charjabug corrected. "They are Feel, Hear, Taste, Sight, Smell, and-"

"There are 5 senses and I refuse to hear otherwise!" Frillish retorted. "I shall vanish."

Frillish left the vicinity in disgust, much to the relief of the rest of the team. "Thank Arceus." Umbreon said, after taking a relieved breath.

"As I was saying," Salazzle continued, "Once we get the map, we need to find out what games are there, and what everyone's good at so we can get as much coins as possible."

"But we don't have time for that." Bruxish argued. "The Sceptiles have already started, and we need to _win_."

"We don't even know what games are here!" The Poison/Fire type shot back. "I want to win this just as much as the rest of you, so excuse me if I want us to actually know for sure what the hell we're doing!"

"In that case, I'm just gonna take a map, a coin bag, and leave." Mareanie announced. "I'll play whatever games I want, they can't be that hard, anyway. Or at least they better not be."

Mareanie did exactly what she said she would do, and as the others watched her go, the same idea popped into their own heads.

Yeah, I'm out too!" Tyranitar confidently burst. "I don't need you little shits, anyway!"

"Same." Zangoose cosigned. "The less time we waste, the better."

Much to Salazzle's dismay, everyone had split up, other than herself, Liepard, and-

"Bruxish," Liepard called out. Hearing her name, Bruxish groaned to herself, knowing what this could be about."

The Water/Psychic type turned around, facing the cat and salamander. "What do you want?"

"We saw you trying to flirt with guys on the other team last night." Liepard informed.

"So you two were spying on me?" Bruxish queried, her face morphing into a glare. "Wait 'till I tell the rest of the team this."

"So you're going to admit to the rest of the team that you can't be trusted because you were trying to get with the guys on the other team?" Salazzle questioned. "And even if you were trying to flirt with the guys on our team, I'd still be suspicious of you."

"May I ask why?" Bruxish challenged. "I could be doing to help _this_ team."

"We all know damn well that's a lie." Salazzle retorted. "You said it yourself at the airport that you don't actually care about the game."

"We weren't going to tell the rest of the team, though." Liepard assured. "Unless you do it again."

"Okay, fine. I won't" Bruxish responded. "Can I go now?"

"Bye, Felicia." Salazzle remarked.

 **000**

" **Is asking for a successful team to much to ask?" Salazzle asked in vexation. "I know we have Frillish and Bruxish on our team, and getting rid of one of them would be nice, I don't want to face the embarrassment of having to be the first team to go to elimination."**

 **000**

Gliscor, Jangmo-o, Gastly, and Mudkip grouped up when their team split up. They walked around the amusement park for a little while, but it didn't take long for them to get distracted.

"Ooh! Let's ride that roller coaster over there!" Gliscor bubbled, pointing to a roller coaster called "The Sniper" on his left.

"But Gliscor, riding roller coasters won't win us any coins." Gastly reminded. "We need to play the _games_ that are here….also, roller coasters are scary."

"Hey, we have two hours." Jangmo-o said in response. "We might as well have some fun doing what _we_ wanna do."

"Well, I guess you have a point." Mudkip admitted. "I don't want to ride that, though."

Jangmo-o shrugged. "Suit yourselves." He said, as he and Gliscor made their way to the roller coaster line….which was two hours long according to the sign right next to the ride name sign. Mudkip and Gastly exchanged worried glances, before walking and floating away respectively.

"So, Gastly," Mudkip began, deciding to incite a conversation. "Why did you decide to get up before the alarm went off this morning?"

"Because I had a nightmare." The Ghost answered. "And I didn't want to go back to sleep, so I just decided to get up and make breakfast for us."

"What was the nightmare about?" The Mud-Fish Pokemon asked in curiosity.

"Well...it's wasn't about anything specific." Gastly replied sheepishly. "I just dream about random stuff that creeps me out."

"...Do you wanna tell me?"

Gastly blinked at this. He was taken aback by Mudkip asking him to share his dreams, thinking that it would be embarrassing. "Uh...do I really have to?"

Seeing Gastly's uncomfortable look, Mudkip decided to let up. "Oh, it's okay, you don't have to."

The two of them then found a Coin Toss game stand, with the objective being to toss the coins into the plastic cups, which were lined up in a 5x5 format. There was one cup in the middle that was worth 100 coins, and two other cups next to it that were worth absolutely nothing. Everything else around the two were either worth 5 or 10 coins. The players had 3 tries to get to the middle.

Luxio was just about to play the game, which put Gastly more on edge than he already was, considering how she gave her an intimidating look yesterday, and her vibe just rubbed him the wrong way.

Luxio was about to pick up a coin, before hearing a "Hey, Luxio!" from Mudkip.

She turned her head, "Oh, hello to you too, Mudkip." She responded, however, her delighted look immediately turned into a frown when she saw Gastly with him. "Oh...and you too."

"Um...y-yep, heh heh." Gastly giggled nervously, before clearing his throat. "So, uh...what's this game about?"

Luxio rose a brow at him, causing the Ghost/Poison type to be even more unsettled than before. "As you can clearly see, we need to toss coins into the cups to win."

"Yep, I can...clearly see that now."

"Do you wanna play this, Gastly?" Mudkip asked.

"No thanks." Gastly quickly responded, still disturbed by the Lynx's piercing glare. "I'll, uh...find another game." He assured, before rapidly floating away.

 **000**

" **Why does Luxio keep giving me Giratina's eye? Doesn't she know that** _ **I'm**_ **the one frightened by** _ **her**_ **?" Gastly asked frantically. "It's so weird and creepy; it's almost as if she isn't truly friendly to everyone…I mean, she hates Leafeon too, but she's kind of a jerk."**

 **000**

Kirlia looked at the map that he was holding, and seeing the games that were there...he felt like he didn't have a lot of options. Most of these either seemed really boring, or he was incapable of performing the tasks. But he still felt like he should try _something_.

The Emotion Pokemon found a rubber duck matching game, and sighed to himself as he went up to the booth.

"Hello, Ma'am, how are you?" The Infernape that was hosting greeted.

"Um, I'm a dude, but I'm fine." Kirlia answered.

The Infernape blinked. "...Oh...um...sure, we can go with that?"

Kirlia rose a brow. Did he not believe him? "What do you mean by 'we can go with that'?" The Humanoid Psychic type asked in suspicion.

"I meant that you could call yourself a guy if you wanted to."

"Well I am, you dipshit!" Kirlia barked. "Why on earth would I make this shit up?!"

The Infernape was frightened by his sudden outburst. "U-uh...because you're gay? OW! STOP THAT!" The Ape yelled, as Kirlia was now throwing some of the rubber ducks at Infernape.

Zangoose was wandering around the park, and seeing Infernape getting pelted with toys immediately caught her attention.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zangoose inquired, as she walked up to the game stand.

Hearing the Mongoose's voice, Kirlia immediately stopped throwing the ducks. There were only 2 ducks left on the small bowl of water. He turned around, before chuckling sheepishly. "Uh...nothing of importance really."

Zangoose rolled her eyes. "Uh, huh." She flatly responded in agreement.

Zangoose walked away, but Kirlia didn't want her to think that he was dumb, considering their encounter last night.

"Hey, Zangoose, wait up!" He called out.

Zangoose stopped, before reluctantly turning her head around. "What do you want? We aren't on the same team, y'know."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that." Kirlia replied. "I kinda just...overreacted back there. That guy was testing my patience."

"Um...okay?" Zangoose questioningly replied. "Why?"

Kirlia scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "W-Well...for no reason really. He just didn't believe that I was a dude, thinking that I was pretending to be one, and then he just assumed that I was gay."

"And _that's_ what caused you snap and throw ducks at him?" Zangoose inquired. "You should of just been the better Pokemon made some snarky reply to his stupidity and walked away. Throwing ducks at him makes _you_ look like the salty instigator."

"Yeah...good point." Kirlia agreed.

"Well, uh...bye." Zangoose said.

"Oh, wait, one more thing."

Zangoose was visibly irritated at this point. Couldn't Kirlia just let her do the challenge?! " _What_ , Kirlia?"

Kirlia stepped back a bit, noticing the hostility in her voice. "Uh...are you going back to the weight room tonight?"

"Yeah...why?" She asked.

"I was hoping you could teach me techniques on weightlifting."

"Hell no." Zangoose immediately answered. "You tried to lift a weight that would nearly kill you last night. You need a break today. Meet me sometime tomorrow if you want to do that."

"Sounds great." The Psychic type agreed. He was about to say goodbye to her, but the Mongoose was already a long distance away. "Uh...okay then…."

He then went back to the rubber duck matching game, where a few other visitors were wondering why he was picking up the ducks from the ground. Infernape then flinched when he saw Kirlia standing right by the stand.

"So, uh...can I play now?" Kirlia asked, chuckling sheepishly.

 **000**

Meganium and Leafeon where at a batting cage. Yes, the park had a _batting cage_. Leafeon was currently batting.

The cage was narrow, but long, and there were 5 tick marks drawn on the fake grass, and the area above each mark, which was about 6 feet, was the amount of coins that they got. The numbers on each tick mark were 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000, which where the coin rewards. Players had 3 chances to get to the 10,000 zone, and if they didn't make it, the highest score was the reward they got.

Leafeon was hyper focused on the baseball machine. She really wanted this win for her awful team. " _Okay, Leafeon,_ " She whispered to herself. " _Your team needs this win…_ "

"Make sure it doesn't hit your dainty face!" The Grass type Eeveelution heard.

"What?" She questioningly responded, before the baseball rapidly shot out of the machine, for what must've been 80 miles per hour. Luckily for Leafeon, she was able to dodge the ball just in time. She growled, turning around to see a laughing Tyranitar. "You shithead!"

Tyranitar wiped a tear from his eye. "Sorry little girl, I was just looking out for your safety! You do realize this sport is is for boys, right?"

"The sport is for anyone who has guts." Meganium stated. "Something I doubt you have."

The Rock Beast was taken aback by this clapback, as he scowled at her, "W-Well...How about we bet on it when Leafeon's done!" He challenged. "Whoever gets the most points between me and you is the strongest, and we get bragging rights!"

"You say that as if you don't already boast daily." Meganium retorted. "I'll take your bet though."

"PERFECT, JUST PERFECT!"

 **000**

" **I'll whip her ass!" Tyranitar yelled. "I'm not nervous at all! Absolutely not! I will not let a girl take me down!" He declared, sounding even more nervous as he continued, beginning to sweat. "I will be fine! I-I will win, hah hah, and she'll regret ever crossing me!" He laughed nervously, now sweating bullets. He cleared his throat as he quickly left the confessional.**

 **000**

Leafeon finished with 1,000 coins in her back, and although she hoped to get more, she was satisfied with her result anyway.

"I'm going first, knucklehead." Meganium abrasively confirmed.

"I got you." Tyranitar responded, feigning confidence, though in reality, he was nervous.

The Grass Type Dinosaur held the bat with her vines. Despite not having functioning arms, she made the game look easier.

The first ball came out at around 90 miles per hour, and Meganium hit the ball all the way to the 10,000 zone, causing Meganium to immediately grin to herself. "Perfect."

Meganium came out of the baseball cage, and got the 10,000 coins from a hole above the cage.

"Beat that, loser." Meganium quipped. "Oh wait, there's nothing _too_ beat."

"I'll break this Arceus Damn cage trying, then!" Tyranitar barked. When he entered the cage, the very sight of the machine made him gulp in nervousness.

 **000**

" **Okay, look. I've never been good at a sport in my life, let alone baseball." Tyranitar confessed. "I'm not confident at all, but I don't want to look weak, not to a girl, not to** _ **anyone**_ **!"**

 **000**

The Rock/Dark Type dinosaur took a deep, nervous breath, but he kept his confident look. He couldn't snow weakness, especially not this early in the game.

"Okay, Tyranitar, you got this." Tyranitar told himself. "You have got to hit this ba-"

Without warning, the baseball immediately shot out of the machine, and out of impulse, Tyranitar yelped and dodged the ball.

"What happened, Tyranitar?" Leafeon teasingly asked. "Scared?"

"Shut Up!" Tyranitar yelled. He then turned back to the machine. "Yes...yes I am." He muttered under his breath.

The second ball came out, and Tyranitar actually swung this time...but he missed. "Damnit!" he shouted.

"You're really shit for someone who talks a lot of it." Meganium quipped.

"AM NOT!" Tyranitar rebutted, trying to think of an excuse. "I'm just...not focused."

"Yeah, sure." Meganium drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Besides, I should be able to hit this last one easily." He added. The final ball came out of the machine, and Tyranitar actually had a successful swing this time...but the ball landed right at the 50 tick mark, causing him to groan loudly as he dropped the bat.

"You lose, knucklehead." Meganium tauntingly asserted. "So much for your bragging rights."

Meganium and Leafeon left the vicinity in satisfaction, leaving an ashamed Tyranitar in the cage, while the 50 coins poured themselves onto the cement.

 **000**

 **Tyranitar rubbed his temples. "Welp...that couldn't have gone any worse."**

" **Well, actually, it could have been worse….I could've just chickened out entirely, which I honestly felt like doing, but then I'd look like a little bitch...and they probably think I'm one now…"**

" **Fuck me…"**

 **000**

Zweilous had just been roaming around the park for the past 20 minutes. He didn't even care about the challenge that much. He was still going to try, but his personal main objective was to find members of the other team to get some intel on them. Needless to say, considering that he hadn't done jack shit for 20 minutes, he couldn't find anyone.

"God, this park is huge." Zweilous commented in annoyance. "How the hell am I supposed to find anyone at this rate?"

"You could actually pay attention."

Zweilous jumped, yelping in shock. This mysterious voice belonged to Mareanie. "H-Have you been here, right beside me, this whole time?!"

"No, genius." Mareanie answered bluntly. "I've just been waiting in this long ass line for this game, and you just happened to stumble by."

The game the Brutal Star Pokemon was talking about was a gunning game. The people playing had to shoot down the plastic cups with rubber bullets that were stacked on top of each other in 5 rows, and 5 columns. Despite there being 5 lanes for the game, the line was still somewhat long. Mareanie was mostly just exaggerating the line, however.

"Riiight." Zweilous hesitantly answered. "I'll go ahead and join up with you."

"Why?" Mareanie questioned. "We aren't even on the same team."

Zweilous rolled his eyes in response to her adamance. "Then I guess I can say I'll join up _against_ you."

"You didn't even want to play this game until you saw me." Mareanie claimed. "So why do you want to play this with, or rather, _against_ me all of a sudden?"

The Hostile Pokemon was beginning to become annoyed by her questions, but he was also becoming a bit intimidated by the way she was asking them. It was almost as if she was reading him.

"Look, may I ask why you want to know?" Zweilous queried, after a few seconds of silence. "It's not like this affects you in any way."

"I have a better question, why are you so hesitant to answer?" Mareanie asked in response. "If this doesn't affect me, it shouldn't affect you. So I ask again, _why_ did you suddenly want to play against me after only interacting with me 5 seconds before making that decision?"

"Uh..w-well…"

"I'll take the next Pokemon in line at lane 5!" The Tsareena host announced. Much to Zweilous' relief, Mareanie was the next one in line, as the line had actually moved a lot while the two were bickering.

Mareanie growled to herself. "You're lucky, hair brain." She sneered, as she went to stage five. Zweilous sighed in relief.

 **000**

" **Arceus, she just wouldn't stop with those questions!" Zweilous exclaimed in vexation. "I won't lie, she was making me genuinely uncomfortable. I tried to play it cool, but I couldn't think of anymore excuses, so I...** _ **panicked**_ **a bit on the inside." He said, emphasizing his embarrassment.**

 **000**

"Let's get this over with." Mareanie flatly muttered. She picked up the toy gun, and rapidly shot all of the cups off of the stand in less than 10 seconds, shocking everyone in line, and when she finished, she carelessly dropped the gun on the concrete. "I'll take my reward."

The completely shocked Tsareena blinked, before rapidly shaking her head. "Um, yes, uh…" As soon as she said that, she ran to find some coins, and she came back with a huge box filled with plenty of them. "Here, take all of them!" She sputtered, pouring out every last coin into her bag.

Mareanie didn't even thank the Tsareena, as she casually left the vicinity. Zweilous couldn't even begin to describe the thoughts racing in his mind.

 **000**

" **Okay...I** _ **definitely**_ **need to look out for her." Zweilous confirmed.**

 **000**

Illumise had gotten 70 coins for doing decently on the coin toss game, and was now waiting in line for a dunk tank game, as her mood compelled her to do so.

She didn't like how the game was going for her so far, even if she got herself into an early alliance. Her reputation outside of her roomates wasn't great, and most of the Pokemon there just annoyed her in general, but on top of all of that, she was still irked by her personal information nearly being revealed last night.

The Firefly Pokemon didn't want to discuss it to the others, but she was actually a prostitute before she came here. Her family wasn't doing well financially, so, along with her other day job at a fast food restaurant, she made out with guys for cash.

She was doing just fine until one day, a guy who seemed like he would be her everything, completely betrayed her, and her trust for other guys. What did he do, you ask? He cheated. He already had a woman with him. He made Illumise look like a whore, a slut...although she felt like she already made herself look like one when she decided the she would be a prostitute, which she immediately regretted after she had to pay the price for sleeping with a cheater.

Illumise knew that she needed to win this game; she did not want to go back to that lifestyle.

"Hey, Illumise!" The Bug type heard, causing her to snap out of her deep thoughts. The voice was identified to be Delphox's.

"Oh, hey Delphox." Illumise responded back.

"Have you seen Gliscor anywhere?" Delphox asked.

"Um...no." Illumise answered. "Why do you need that idiot?"

"Oh, no reason." Delphox quickly answered. "So, uh...what did you mean when you said that you had experience with horny men that are always in strip clubs?"

Illumise blinked. She thought she had made it pretty damn clear that it was personal and that she wasn't going to talk about it. "...Why the hell are you asking me this?"

"What's wrong with a bit of curiosity?"

"Because it's _not_ your business!" Illumise loudly snapped, causing everyone in line, as well as everyone around the game to turn their attention towards the two of them.

Everyone, including Illumise and Delphox were now silent. Delphox awkwardly walked away from the vicinity, leaving a perturbed Illumise, who was receiving looks, looks that wanted to know what on earth she could possibly be talking about. Eventually, she scurried away.

 **000**

" **I can't believe it!" Illumise yelled. "She tried to get up in my business after I made it clear that it was private information, and made me look like a fool in public!"**

" **Why does she even want to know my past, anyway?"**

 **000**

"And then, Dr. Mewtwo captured Might Chu, and he was about to use the Anti Electricity shot!" Charjabug frantically bleated.

"And?" Shellder asked, just as anxious as the Battery Pokemon. "What happened?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Charjabug blustered. "THE COMIC ENDED; IT WAS A CLIFFHANGER!"

"Wait, _what_!?" Shellder gasped. "That's horrible!"

"Right?!" Charjabug concurred. "I don't even know when the next issue is supposed to come out, so who knows how long we'll have to wait?"

Shellder sighed. "Yep, that sucks." A split second after he said that, he froze in place. "Wait...how long have we just been walking around?"

"Uhh…I think it's been a half hour now…" Charjabug estimatedly answered.

" _ATTENTION CONTESTANTS, A HALF HOUR HAS PASSED, SO YOU GUYS HAVE AN HOUR AND A HALF LEFT!_ " Deoxys announced from the PA.

"Yyyep. It's absolutely been a half hour." Charjabug confirmed.

"I can't believe we spent a half hour just talking while walking." The clam marveled. "I guess my social skills are improving, huh."

Charjabug chuckled in agreement. "Mine too, Shellder, mine too."

"So...what games are there to play that actually fit us, since we're small and borderline limbless?" The Bivalve Pokemon asked.

"Uh...we forgot to get a map, so I don't know." Charjabug sheepishly answered. "Guess we probably should've listened to Salazzle."

"Oh look, there's a chess game!" Shellder pointed out, "We're saved!"

Unsurprisingly, no one was in line for the chess game, so the Flygon host was just looking at his phone with a bored expression glued to his face. When the nerds came up to him, he didn't notice them because of how attentive he was to his phone.

"Um….hello?" Charjabug called out, trying to get his attention.

Hearing the voice, Flygon eyes went off of his phone, and on the bug. "Oh, someone actually wants to play this game, eh?"

"Of course!" Charjabug chirped. "Who doesn't love chess?"

Flygon just blinked at his question. "You know what...just pick a color."

"I'll let you have the first move and go with black." Charjabug chose. The black pieces were on the left, and the white pieces were on the right. Flygon and Charjabug went to their respective sides.

"Welp, let's get this over with." Flygon unenthusiastically drawled, moving one pawn upward.

"Go Charjabug, go!" Shellder cheered on. "You got this!"

The Bug/Electric type scanned all of his pieces...and did it again, and again, and again. Flygon mentally slammed his head onto the desk. " _I don't get paid enough for this shit._ "

 **000**

"Okay, I think I'm far enough from her now." Gastly said to himself, referring to Luxio. He decided to float as far away from her as possible, and while he succeeded, there was a new problem: he had no idea where he was.

There weren't really many games around where he was right now; just roller coasters and a few spinning rides. The Meek Ghost felt nauseous just looking at one of them, causing him to speed up even further, before he bumped into someone.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that!" Gastly apologized. "Wait, Frillish, is that you?"

The fellow ghost type gave him a look. "Who else could it possibly be? The Queen of Lumiose?"

"Uh, why wouldn't it be?" Gastly attempted to crack a joke.

Frillish hummed, "Yond wast so lame. Thee needeth to w'rk on thy humeth'r." she said.

"Uh...what was that?" Gastly asked, not understanding what she said.

"Your joke was lame, Gastly." Frillish clarified, deadpanning. "I spoke in Shakespearean."

"...Oh."

"Do you mind if I...hang out with you?" The Floating Pokemon asked. "Mine own team doesn't giveth a alas about me."

"Um...that doesn't sound like it made se-"

"WELL IT DOES!" Frillish shrilled. "It is a yes or no question, you fool!?"

"Okay, okay, yes! I-I mean no! I mean-" The ghost babbled, forgetting the type of question she asked.

"In that case, I'll just follow you anyway." Frillish decided.

Gastly blinked before laughing sheepishly. "Y-Yeah, sure! Go ahead!"

 **000**

 **Gastly let out a loud groan. "I can't believe I screwed up so badly. I didn't want to be mean to her, even though she's annoying, but I don't want to be seen around her either."**

" **I guess it won't be that bad though...I hope."**

 **000**

"Oh, look! It's a manicure station!" Frillish chirped.

"What?" The Gas Pokemon questioned. "But you don't even have-and she's gone. Welp.."

Gastly was tempted to leave the Ghost/Water type waiting in line, but he knew if he did, Frillish would arouse some drama. Luckily for him, though, there was a frisbee throwing game right next to the station, so he went up to Frillish to tell her that he would go there.

"Uh, hey, Frillish." He said to her, "I'm gonna go play this frisbee game right next door."

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead, honey." She responded.

Gastly left her after she said that, before he blushed a blood red in realization.

 **000**

" **D-did she just call me honey?!" Gastly stammered, still blushing.**

 **000**

Umbreon was carrying 40 coins on his back, which was a good start in his eyes. He walked past a chess game, and saw Charjabug and Shellder there. The former was playing a bored Flygon, while the latter was supporting him.

"Are they seriously playing chess?" He asked himself. "Why is there even a chess game at an amusement park, anyway?"

As he walked past that area in disgust, he saw a football throwing game that no one was in line for, and thought, 'Well, it couldn't be that bad, right?' Unfortunately for him though, he had pretty much learned to expect the worst case scenario due to his anger issues.

The game had three holes, and from top to bottom, they got bigger. The largest hole was worth 5 coins, the middle hole was worth 15, and the smallest was worth 25. A Machamp was hosting the game.

"So, you think you're tough, huh?" The Superpower Pokemon snarkily asked.

"I'm tough enough to rip out someone's throat when I get angry." The Moonlight Pokemon shot back.

"We'll see about that." The Machamp grunted. "You have 30 seconds, and the game begins right now."

He turned the machine, as the 5 footballs rolled down the machine. Umbreon picked the first one up, and immediately aimed for the top hole in confidence...but the throw was wobbly, and it hit the top wall and came right back down.

"What?!" Umbreon questioningly barked. He then picked another football, and aimed for the top hole once again, but that also missed. The Dark Type growled as he rapidly and mindlessly threw all the footballs, but to no prevail. With 3 seconds left, he threw one of them into the largest hole, and then it was unfortunately over, and only 5 coins came out of the machine.

The Machamp laughed hysterically. "Oh man, that was terrible! You're probably the worst football player I've ever seen!"

"Shut up!" Umbreon barked defensively, picking up the very few coins that he got. "I don't even have real hands; I'm a quadruped!"

"What a lame excuse!" Machamp shot back. "Although I shouldn't be surprised considering that it came from someone as pathetic as you."

Umbreon was about to walking away, until he heard what the Fighting type said about. He slowly turned around to glower at Machamp. ".. _What_ did you say?" He asked through grit teeth.

"I said that you're pathetic." Machamp repeated, not paying attention to the fact that Umbreon was slowly and menacingly crawling towards him. "Considering that you only got 5 worthless coins, and all of your throws were wobbly...uh what are you-AAAAAHHHHHHH!" He screamed, as Umbreon pounced on him.

Liepard was walking by the scene, looking for Umbreon, and then she heard all the ruckus that was going on. She turned towards the direction, and saw Umbreon and Machamp fighting...which was more like Umbreon completely mauling the fighting type.

"AAHHH, UNCLE, UNCLE!" The Superpower Pokemon screeched in agony, as the Moonlight Pokemon stretched his arms all the way back to his butt.

"Take what you said back, and I'll stop." Umbreon ordered.

"OKAY, I TAKE IT BACK, YOU AREN'T PATHETIC, JUST PLEASE STOP!" Machamp whined.

Umbreon let go of his arms, and a groan of relief from Machamp followed, and much to Umbreons surprise, he saw Liepard standing right in front of him, giving him a look.

"Oh, uh...hey Liepard!" Umbreon greeted, laughing sheepishly.

"Okay, let's talk about the Donphan in the room." The Feline interjected. "How the hell were you, a dark type, able to easily beat the shit out of that _fighting_ type?" She inquired.

"Oh, I didn't actually use any of my main moves. I just physically beat him up." Umbreon explained. "I guess he didn't see it coming, so he was pretty much defenseless."

"O..kay then…" Liepard hesitated. "Anyways, I came here looking for you to tell you that I think we should accept your deal."

"Wait, really?" Umbreon asked. "Great!"

"Salazzle hasn't officially decided, though."

"...Oh." Umbreon piped down in disappointment. "Wait, where is she?"

 **000**

A basketball was seen getting nothing but net into a long hoop.

"See that, Torterra?" Salazzle rhetorically asked. "That is how you win a challenge."

The Salamander took the 100 coins that poured out of the machine, and left to find another game. Meanwhile, the Continent Pokemon had a bewildered look on his face.

"How the hell did she make ten perfect shots in a row?" Torterra asked himself. He was on attempt number 6, and he hadn't made _any_ successful shots. He assumed that it had something to do with his huge, stubby hands, and the fact that he was quadruped.

As he was about to make his next shot, he heard someone muttering inaudibly, and he just couldn't help but want to know who it was. So, he sat down the ball he held up, and turned around, and much to his surprise, he saw Tyranitar! The Rock beast was sulking to himself, and he held his head down. This was very unusual, because he usually acted egotistical and overconfident. What could possibly be getting him down?

Torterra wanted to ask what was wrong, but remembering Umbreon's advice from earlier, and the fact that Tyranitar completely shut him down last night, he decided not to...at least not right now. Plus, he had to finish this game.

 **000**

" **I can't believe it, Ty looked awful." Torterra fretted. "He isn't acting all tough and confident, so...** _ **something**_ **must've happened…"**

 **000**

Salazzle was looking for her next game. She was doing well so far; she played 4 games, and got a total of 230 coins from those games.

Suddenly she saw Bruxish zoom past her, which took her aback slightly. What could possibly cause her to float so rapidly? It was almost just as fast as she did last night when she randomly left the room.

Suspicious, The Poison/Fire type turned back, and starting running to catch up to the Water/Psychic type.

 **000**

" **I don't wanna sound cynical...but I still don't trust Bruxish one bit." Salazzle stated.** " **She couldn't still be scrambling to find a game after nearly an hour has passed; she** _ **has**_ **to be up to something."**

 **000**

Gliscor and Jangmo-o were still in line for The Sniper rollercoaster, still eager to ride it. The line was still very long, and the duo were only halfway to the ride.

"Oh man, I don't think I can wait any longer!" Jangmo-o anxiously effused. "The excitement is _sniping_ me!"

"Sniping?" Gliscor asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Uh…" The Dino trailed off. He didn't want to explain his joke; that would ruin it. "Don't worry about it."

Gliscor sighed in disappointment. He actually wanted to understand the joke. Suddenly, and idea popped up in his head: Ask someone else!

"Excuse me," Gliscor said, tapping the shoulder of a Gurdurr in front of him. The Muscular Pokemon rapidly turned around, glaring at the Gliscor. "What do you want, kid?" He raspily queried.

"Can you explain Jangmo-o's joke?" Gliscor inquired. "He said that the excitement was sniping him."

"...What?" The Gurdurr snapped, glowering at Jangmo-o.

Jangmo-o's eyes shrunk in fear. "What!?" He exclaimed, before being picked up by his neck.

"You tell a shitty pun like that again, and you'll be the _only_ one to get sniped." The Fighting type threatened through grit teeth.

"Okay...please put me down…" Jangmo-o squeaked, nodding rapidly.

The Gurdurr immediately dropped the Scaly Pokemon, who groaned. "Why do I keep getting strangled today..?"

"...I still don't get it." Gliscor stated.

 **000**

"Where could Gastly have _possibly_ gone?" Mudkip wondered to himself. Gastly had split up from the Mud Fish Pokemon an hour ago, and since then, Mudkip had spent his time looking for him.

He noticed the way Luxio acted towards him earlier, too. She made it look like Gastly had done something wrong, or that he wasn't normal, and he wondered why.

Eventually, he saw Gastly with….Frillish?

"Hey, Mudkip!" He heard, before he was able to sink that information in.

He turned around, as the voice came from behind him, and when he saw the Gnash Teeth Pokémon within two feet away from him, he jumped with a shocked yelp. "B-Bruxish?!"

Bruxish sighed in annoyance, although she made it seem like it was a seductive sigh. "Yes, boo, it's me."

"Uh, what do you need from me?" Mudkip inquired. "No offense but I'm...I'm…" A smile crept upon the Water type starter's face, and his eyes turned into hearts. "..I think I'm in love with you!"

Bruxish grinned. "None taken."

 **000**

" **Why didn't I just use attract sooner?" Bruxish asked herself. "Ah, well it doesn't matter. I have the pipsqueak under my control. At least for the rest of this challenge."**

 **000**

" **I could've sworn that I saw Mudkip at the corner of my eye." Gastly claimed, "But Frillish wanted me to pay attention to her for a few seconds, and then Mudkip was gone…"**

 **000**

Luxio currently had 60 coins, and she felt like she could be doing better. But outside of that, the one thing that was lingering on her mind was Gastly.

He was a ghost type, and he was from Lavender Town, which was considered "Pokemon hell" by her church. She had even heard stories about how the Pokemon that live there steal the souls of other Pokemon, without ever giving them back. She wasn't sure if they were true or not, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Sure Frillish was also a ghost type, and she was annoying as hell, but she looked significantly less creepy, and, you know...she _didn't_ live in Pokemon hell.

While walking, she saw Meganium and Leafeon walking in the opposite direction, and she sighed to herself at the sight of the pair. She noticed how often the two of them were paired up, and that annoyed her quite a bit. Both of the girls' personalities rubbed her the wrong way on their own, so the two of them together doubled their egos, and if there's one thing The Lynx hated other than Lavender town, it was definitely Pokemon with huge egos.

"Hey, Meganium and Leafeon!" Luxio greeted when they met up.

"How much coins do you have?" Meganium queried, ignoring her greeting.

"What?" Luxio quickly responded with a question. She was shocked that Meganium immediately hit her with a question without greeting her back. "Oh...I have 50."

"You _only_ have 50?" Leafeon asked in a jeering manner. "Me and Meganium are well above the thousands!"

"Really?" Luxio asked in bewilderment. "How?"

"Simple; we played the games that offered a buttload of coins, not matter how well we did." Meganium answered.

"And we _did_ do well, by the way." Leafeon boastfully added. "What games did you play, exactly?"

The Spark Pokemon sighed in annoyance from their bragging. "Well, I did a coin toss game, and I got 30 coins, and then, I played that duck matching game, and got 20 more."

"Yeah, you definitely need to catch up, then." Meganium stated. "Remember, we're trying to _win_."

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that." Luxio responded, trying to hide her annoyance.

"Welp, we're out." Leafeon announced. "We'll meet up when this challenge ends."

The grass types left the vicinity, leaving Luxio alone. The Electric type sighed in relief.

 **000**

" _ **And we did do well, by the way**_ **." Luxio mocked, before scoffing loudly. "The nerve!"**

 **000**

Zangoose kept her eye on a red circle. Hitting that red circle would give her 100 coins.

The Mongoose was in the middle of the dunk tank game, and she had three tries to hit the red circle to dunk the Floatzel, who had an uninterested look on his face. No one had been able to dunk him at all today, and he didn't think Zangoose would be any different.

"Alright, kid, let's see what you got." The Sea Weasel drawled.

Zangoose threw the first ball, which went about 45 miles per hour, but it missed. "Damnit." She muttered. She played softball in middle and high school, so she was disappointed with that throw.

She picked up the next ball, and looked behind her. For a split second, she saw Salazzle running, seemingly at the speed of light. She didn't take this in until a couple seconds later. "...Salazzle?"

"Hey, kid, you gonna throw the ball or not?!" The Floatzel yelled out.

"Uh...I forfeit." Zangoose announced. She then immediately dropped the ball she was holding, and left the game area.

 **000**

" **I feel like this could have something to do with Bruxish." Zangoose hypothesized. "Salazzle was on her case this morning, and now that I see her running like crazy, I think she's looking for her to see what the hell she's up to."**

" **I want to find out, too. I'm still annoyed at her for trying to turn** _ **my**_ **questions right back to me when I was trying to interrogate her."**

 **000**

Zweilous watched Mareanie closely from behind a bush, as she was playing a Hi Striker game. The Brutal Star Pokemon, slammed the hammer down, and the indicator went all the way to the top, and a loud bell ring followed.

"Arceus, what the hell is with that lady?" Zweilous inquired in bewilderment. Between this, and her perfect run at that toy gun game, he was beginning to think that Mareanie was some god in the disguise of a normal Pokemon, or maybe she was a devil. _Yes,_ she was the _perfect_ example of a devil child. How could someone so small be so precise and have so much power?

"Zweilous what are you-"

The Hostile Pokemon rapidly covered the Emotion Pokemon's mouth, and pulled him to the side. Hearing this, Mareanie looked behind her...and saw a bush. The Water/Poison type shrugged to herself.

Seeing that she didn't hear Kirlia, Zweilous sighed in relief, before glaring at Kirlia, " _What are you doing here_!?" He whisper shouted.

"I could ask you the same thing." Kirlia retorted. "So...what are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, I was playing up against her in a shooting game, and she shot down every cup in her lane in just _10 seconds._ " Zweilous explained, putting emphasis on how little time it took.

"Wait, really?" Kirlia questioned. "How is that possible?"

"How would I know?" Zweilous queried in response. "That's why I'm 'interrogating' her." He said, putting 'interrogating' in air quotes.

"More like stalking."

Zweilous rolled his eyes under his hair. "Whatever. I'm gonna go find her."

The Two Headed Dragon zoomed off, leaving the Feminine-looking Fairy/Psychic type alone.

 **000**

" **Are Zweilous and Zangoose seriously going to be the only allies if have on my team right now?" Kirlia asked himself.**

" **Wait…"**

 **000**

" _ATTENTION CONTESTANTS, THERE IS A HALF HOUR LEFT FOR THIS CHALLENGE!_ "

 **000**

Delphox hadn't played any of the games all challenge. Instead, she kept looking for Gliscor. Ever since Illumise blew up at her earlier, she had felt a master plan brewing in her head.

"Ugh, where the hell is that kid?" She asked in annoyance. She really wanted to find him so that she could do the challenge; she had wasted over an hour looking for the optimist, and she was receiving no lu-

"Hey, Delphox!"

The Fox Pokemon paused, and turned around, pleasantly surprised to see Gliscor waving at him from the line he was in, but she was also confused as to why they were in a long roller coaster line.

"What are you guys doing in a roller coaster line?" Delphox queried, after walking up to the line. The line was fairly high up, as the ride started off at a high elevation level. Gliscor and Jangmo-o were about 20 minutes away from getting on the ride.

"We just thought we could do a quick ride before doing the challenge." Jangmo-o responded.

"Quick? That line looks like it takes hours to get on the ride!" The Fire/Psychic type yelled.

"Well...It did feel like it took a really long time…" Gliscor said. "...Are we there yet?"

Delphox blinked, "..Anyways, Gliscor, can I have a chat with you when these challenges are over?"

"Of course!" Gliscor approved. "What's it about?"

"I'll explain when we go back to the hotel." Delphox responded. "Come to the girls' room once we get back."

"You got it!" Gliscor replied, giving a thumbs up.

Delphox left, and Jangmo-o cast a glance at The Fang-Scorpion Pokemon. "I think she want to get laid."

"Can't she just rest by herself?"

 **000**

Charjabug was still in that chess match with the Flygon, with Shellder watching closely with admiration. The Bug/Electric type was winning by a huge margin, and the Dragon/Ground type didn't even care; He just wanted the game to be over with.

"Ugh, will you just make a move already!?" Flygon groused, with a loud groan. "You're winning."

"See, this game requires patience." Charjabug stated. "The game is meant to stimulate our mental, and let it out in real life. Almost like a scientific experiment."

" _Wow, Charjabug's so….articulate…_ " Shellder thought, staring at the bug, his eyes sparkling.

"I don't care about that bullshit, I just want this game to be over!" The Flygon blurted out in vexation.

"Okay." Charjabug casually responded, before reach his small, brown 'arms', and moved his queen right in front of where Flygon's King was. "Checkmate."

"FINALLY!" The Mystic Pokemon bursted.

Charjabug glanced at Shellder, expecting a cheer from him, but instead, he saw the clam staring intensely at him. "Uh...Shellder? _Shellder_?"

The Bivalve Pokemon snapped out of his trance, and seeing Charjabug's confused look, he felt embarrassed.

"You alright, buddy?"

"Uh..y-yeah, I'm fine, p-perfectly fine!" Shellder stammered, laughing nervously. "Uh..can I play a round-"

"NO!" Flygon immediately answered. "In fact, I'm quitting this stupid job! This shit's boring!" He announced, flipping over the table, which caused the chess pieces to scatter. He then marched away, as the Nerd Herd starred in slight surprise.

He didn't even give Charjabug his reward.

 **000**

" **Okay, I don't know** _ **what**_ **happened, but I was just admiring Charjabug's skill and brain power, and then I just...lost myself!" Shellder panickedly exclaimed. "This is so embarrassing...why am I always so embarrassed by everything?!"**

 **000**

Umbreon and Liepard played a decent amount of games together, so with only 20 minutes left, they decided to take some time off to themselves.

"So, Liepard, what's life like for you outside of this show?" Umbreon queried in curiosity.

"You wanna know about _my_ boring life?" Liepard questioned. "'Cause my life for the past 17 years has been nothing but helicoptering and coddling from my parents. They still tell me how to cross the street, flush the toilet, and get this, the still feel the need to tell me how to change the Arceus damn TV channels!"

"Jeez, that sounds annoying." Umbreon replied, feeling embarrassment for the feline. "I don't think I'd make it in your parents house without losing my mind, knowing my inherit anger problems."

"Have you always had anger issues?" Liepard asked.

The Moonlight Pokemon sighed. "Yep. It's an on and off thing, but little things setting me off has been a problem for years. I've been trying private anger management classes, but that hasn't worked at all, so I decided to sign up for this show, and I'm already seeing that doing so was a mistake."

"Well, at least this dumb challenge is almost over." Liepard reminded. "But then again, we have another one right after this, and there's a possibility of that one being even dumber."

"Liepard, Umbreon!" They heard someone call out their names. The voice sounded like Salazzle's, and their assumption was correct, as they saw the Toxic Lizard Pokemon running towards the two.

"What's going on? Why are you running?" Umbreon asked.

Salazzle took a few seconds to catch her breath, before saying. "It's Bruxish. I saw the bitch float right past me earlier in a rapid manner, and I've been looking for her for the past 40 minutes or so. I don't know how I lost her."

"I knew this was about Bruxish." The three of them heard. They turned to where the voice came from, and it was from Zangoose.

"What do you mean you knew?" Salazzle inquired. "Have you been following me all this time?"

"Yes and no." The Mongoose responded. "I've been following your trails, but since you're a fast runner, it was hard from me to keep up with you." She explained. "I saw you running when I was playing a dunk tank game."

Salazzle deadpanned "..So you _were_ following me this whole time."

"Pretty much."

"All that aside, we need to find her." Umbreon asserted. "It sounds like she's definitely up to something, especially considering we caught her flirting with some of the guys on the other team, and _losers_ , at that."

"Well that explains why she was getting all defensive earlier." Zangoose scoffed. "Where could she possibly be, though?"

"Well, we can only find out if we start searching right now." Liepard answered.

 **000**

After playing a few more games, Torterra decided to look for Tyranitar. He knew that he was going against Umbreon's suggestion, but he became increasingly worried about the Armor Pokemon as time went on. Besides, Umbreon wasn't even around, so Torterra could freely talk to Tyranitar just this once, right?

He eventually found the rock beast sitting at a table eating a burger and fries for lunch, and he still looked depressed, so a concerned Torterra walked up to him.

"Uh, hey Tyranitar...you doing alright?" Torterra asked. "I saw you sulking earlier."

"What are you talking about?" Tyranitar inquired, giving him a look. "I'm doing just fine. What would I have any reason to be sad for?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Well it's nothing." Tyranitar assured. "Now can you please just leave me alone?"

Torterra sighed. "Okay." He complied, as he left the dining area.

 **000**

 **Torterra groaned. "Well, that didn't go very well. That was honestly pointless of me to do."**

 **000**

"So, Gastly, which color do you think looks better on me?" Frillish asked, showing the Gas Pokemon her tentacles. The light pink parts of them were now red on the left, and purple on the right.

"Uh...I guess the purple, since that one matches my color." Gastly tentatively responded.

"This isn't about you, silly." Frillish reminded. "Which one best represents _me_?"

The Ghost/Poison type was unsure of what to say. He still felt like purple was better, but he didn't want to be accused of making it about himself again.

"Uh...I don't know, red?" He asked.

Frillish sighed. "But do you _really_ think that? Don't be indecisive."

"I don't know! What do you think?!"

Frillish hummed in thought. "Honestly, you're right. I like the purple. It goes with both of our colors."

Gastly's left eye twitched. He had been hanging out with Frillish for the past hour and a half, and to his surprise, he actually tolerated her. Yeah, she was annoying, and she talked too much about things that didn't matter, but for some reason, he found her personality...charming. That being said...she was still annoying, especially in instances like these, where she had just stressed him out.

As the two of them continued floating, they found Mudkip and….Bruxish?

"What is that fish mistress doing with the flipper boy?" Frillish pondered.

"And does Mudkip have, hearts in his eyes?" Gastly queried in response.

"What are you two doing together?" The "fish mistress" asked, when she and the hypnotized Mudkip came up to the ghosts.

"Yeah, well...what did _you_ do to Mudkip?" Gastly shot back, trying his best to sound intimidating, but he blushed in embarrassment when Bruxish laughed in response.

"Was that seriously your attempt at being intimidating?" Bruxish quipped. "I've met Wimpods more threatening."

"So you admit that you're threatened by the most cowardly species of Pokemon in existence?" Frillish jested. "That is beyond pathetic."

"Ooh, I bet you're gonna need a burn heal from that one!"

"Gastly, just stop." Frillish advised.

"Good idea." Gastly responded, chuckling sheepishly. "So uh...what _did_ you do to Mudkip?"

"I used attract, obviously." Bruxish responded, as if Gastly's question was a stupid one. "Since you losers aren't actually attracted despite me being beautiful, I had to take matters into my own hands."

As Bruxish was saying this, Frillish saw Zangoose, Salazzle, Umbreon, and Liepard, and it seemed like they were looking for something...or some _one_. Seeing an opportunity to get on their good side, she grinned to herself. "HEY, LADIES AND GENTLE FOX!" She called out.

"Did you guys hear that?" Umbreon asked.

"Yeah, it sounded like... _her_." Liepard grunted in annoyance.

"COME OVER HERE, I HAVE SOME BURNING TEA TO SHARE!"

The four of them ran over to Frillish, and to their surprise, they saw Bruxish and Mudkip, who had hearts in his eyes while he was staring at Bruxish in a creepy manner.

"What...the hell is going on?" Salazzle asked, before glaring at Bruxish. "You better explain this shit."

"No need. I'll do it myself." Frillish declared. "See, Dory here told me that she used attract on Mudkip because she's a desperate little soul who needs not to be a loner her whole life."

"What?! I'm not alone!" Bruxish defensively shouted.

"Then why do you feel the need to force someone to stare at your ass against their will?" Zangoose inquired in response.

"Because it's a game!" Bruxish shot back, "In this game, you do whatever it takes to win."

"Maybe so, but _that_ is just uncalled for." Liepard stated, giving the drooling Mudkip an uncomfortable look.

Suddenly, the PA came back on. " _ATTENTION CONTESTANTS, YOUR TWO HOURS ARE UP, REPORT TO THE CULINARY CATASTROPHE ROLLER COASTER_!"

"Bruxish, you better _hope_ that we win this next challenge." Umbreon growled.

"As long as one of _you guys_ don't screw up, we will." Bruxish retorted. She then snapped Mudkip out of his attraction, and the Mudfish Pokemon fell down and groaned.

"Mudkip!" Gastly shouted in concern for his new friend, floating up to him. It was just those two now, as the Blazikens had already left.

Mudkip groaned once more, as he opened his eyes slowly. "G-Gastly...what happened? Where have you been?"

"Uh...it's a long story…"

 **000**

" **I'm just glad the Blazikens didn't question why I was with Frillish, and just ignored me entirely." Gastly admitted.**

" **All that aside...WE HAVE TO RIDE A R-R-ROLLER COASTER?!" He shrieked. "I knew I was right to have a bad feeling about this!"**

 **000**

" **I was** _ **drooling**_ **?" Mudkip asked in bewilderment, his eyes wide, and mouth agape.**

 **000**

Everyone, with the exception of Illumise, Gliscor, and Jangmo-o were now at the new 'Culinary catastrophe rollercoaster.' The cart was blue, with drawings of food, and kitchen utensils on it. There was a spatula flipping a hamburger, a pizza cutter cutting pizza, and a whisk mixing up eggs. The tracks were white, and the seats looked like typical roller coaster seats, but there was also a small machine inside of the cart, in front of the seats.

Deoxys and Mewtwo then teleported from out of nowhere, and after glancing at the contestants, The DNA Pokemon immediately realized a few of them were missing.

"So..it looks like the Sceptiles have the missing players this time." Deoxys acknowledged.

"Yeah, we could clearly see that." Zweilous replied.

"I'm here." Everyone heard from Illumise, who was walking up the steps to the ride. She had a emotionless look on her face, almost as if the day had completely drained her, and it was only the middle of the afternoon.

"Okay, and where are Gliscor and Jangmo-o?" Meganium queried.

Gastly and Mudkip exchanged nervous glances.

 **000**

"I can't believe we're finally riding The Sniper!" Jangmo-o bubbled.

"Why don't you believe it, we're on The Sniper now!" Gliscor chirped.

The two of them were just reaching the top of the roller coaster.

"You ready for this Gliscor?" Jangmo-o asked.

"Yeah!"

"Good, because there's gonna be a big, _sniping_ drop, and you can't screa-AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Gliscor cheered.

 **000**

A couple minutes later...Gliscor and Jangmo-o still hadn't gotten back.

"So, uh, Sceptiles...if Gliscor and Jangmo-o don't come back in the next minute, you'll forfeit the first part of the challenge, and The Blazikens automatically get the advantage in the next one." Deoxys announced.

"Well those idiots better get here soon." Leafeon snarled. "I did _not_ earn all of these coins for nothing."

"Hi everyone!"

Everyone immediately turned their attention towards the Fang-Scorpion and Scaly Pokemon, who were now running up the stairs...and neither of them had coin bags.

"Uh...where the hell are your coin bags?!" Meganium inquired angrily.

"Oh...I knew we forgot something." Jangmo-o said nonchalantly.

Everyone on the Sceptiles, minus Mudkip's crew groaned in annoyance.

"Okay, then. Everyone, pour out your coins into these coin counters." Mewtwo ordered, pointing to two large bowls. The bowl on the left had a Sceptile face outside of it, and the bowl to the right had a Blaziken face outside of it. There was a screen on top of each bowl that displayed a number, currently 0.

The contestants that actually got coins poured them into their respective team's bowls one at a time, and from the looks of it, the Sceptiles were winning.

"Nice, we might get that advantage!" Delphox crowed.

"Wait...why does Mareanie have two bags?" Gastly asked.

The Brutal Star Pokemon was last in line for the Blazikens, and as she poured the first batch of coins, the Sceptiles watched the Blaziken's score closely, and were shocked to see that their score went well above theirs, and then Mareanie poured the second batch.

"How did she even get that much coins?" Luxio queried.

Zweilous groaned. "I saw her play a gun game, and she manage to shoot down every cup in just 10 seconds, so the host just gave her every coin the game had."

"Wait, _WHAT_?!" Illumise exclaimed.

"And with that...I can safely say that the Blaziken's win this part of the challenge!" Deoxys declared, a bit shocked himself. After Mareanie finished pouring, the final count was 11,490 for the Sceptiles, and 148,828 for the Blazikens.

"Yes!" Bruxish cheered.

"And why are _you_ cheering?" Frillish questioned.

"Why not? We did win after all." Charjabug reminded.

"No thanks to her; she didn't even do the challenge." Liepard revealed. "She just hypnotized Mudkip like the desperate bitch she is."

Mudkip shuddered. "Please don't remind me of that…"

"Okay. That's pretty problematic." Charjabug stated.

"Will you guys just get over it?" Bruxish challenged. "I stopped the kid from getting anymore coins."

"That would be understandable if you got _any_ coins at all." Zangoose retorted.

"Okay, let's just move on." Deoxys interrupted, not wanting the arguing to go any further. "So, for this next challenge, a contestant from each team will have to ride the roller coaster in front of us: The Culinary Catastrophe. Blaziken's, since you guys won the first part of the challenge, you get to choose who rides with you. But choose wisely, because the challenge here is to _not_ scream."

"We'll be able to hear who screams and who doesn't through this voice telegrapher above us," Mewtwo added. "And if both players scream, whoever screams louder loses. We'll be doing a best out of 7."

"Liepard, you're up first." Deoxys announced.

"Hold on," Liepard interjected. "We don't get to choose who goes on our team?"

"No. I don't want this to be _too_ unfair." Deoxys replied. "So, choose who you're going up against."

Liepard groaned to herself, not wanting to ride the rollercoaster. "I'll choose Mudkip."

"Wha?" Mudkip asked in fear.

"Alright you two, get in." Mewtwo ordered, pointing to the rollercoaster. "And you have to be on the front seats."

Liepard rollered her eyes, getting in first, as Mudkip followed, gulping in nervousness.

"Don't forget your seatbelt guys!" Gliscor called out.

Liepard glared at the Ground/Flying type in response, while Mudkip gave a shaky thumbs up.

Once the two of them put their seatbelt, the handlebars automatically came down...but Mudkip couldn't reach them.

"Aw, crap." Mudkip squeaked.

"Alright, Liepard and Mudkip. We're starting." Deoxys announced, before pulling the lever.

The Culinary Catastrophe began to move slowly as it left the waiting area, and as it began to rise, Mudkip was desperately trying to reach the handlebars in a panicked manner.

"It's no use; you can't reach it." Liepard jested. "You'll just have to suck it up."

Mudkip groaned, before he came up with an idea. Being as small as he was, he slipped out of his seat belt, and grabbed the bars, holding on to them as tightly as he could.

"What are you _doing_?" Liepard questioned.

The Water type didn't answer, as the cart had just reached the top, and the roller coaster paused. Mudkip shut his eyes tight, while Liepard took a deep breath, before saying. "Well, it can't be that bad, right?'

A split second after she uttered that, the cart zoomed down the steep drop, with Liepard screaming in shock and fear, and Mudkip, who still had his eyes shut, only muttered, "Please let it be over, please let it be over..".

 **000**

" **Okay...that was pretty bad…" Liepard panted.**

 **000**

The Cruel Pokemon was still screaming as the cart went faster. The coaster made a few twists, before going into a loop.

Mudkip wasn't strong enough to hold on to the handlebars due to to this loop, which caused him to rapidly fall back onto the sleep, and instinctively, he opened his eyes due to the shock. He yelped before jumping back on to the handle bars.

Once they got out of the loop, the two of them immediately felt ketchup splat down their faces, or in Mudkip's case, his whole body.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Liepard screeched, feeling a burn in her eyes, as she furiously wiped her face. "Deoxys is _SO_ dead!"

After the ketchup, a bucket of water poured on the cart to clean them up...although Liepard the cat didn't feel clean at all. The roller coaster had one more small drop, before finally slowing down, and re-entering the waiting area.

Once the cart stopped, Mudkip dropped from the handlebars. "..Is it over?" He asked.

"Yes it is, and you won, Mudkip!" Deoxys announced.

"Deoxys, what is _wrong_ with you?" Liepard challenged, glowering at the host.

Seeing the Dark type's murderous glint, Deoxys gulped. "D-Don't look at me! It was Mewtwo's idea to use this roller coaster!"

"It's true; I just couldn't wait to see your reaction." Mewtwo admitted, a smirk growing on his face.

"What did you _do_?" Mareanie queried

"The perv chose a roller coaster that pours ketchup. _KETCHUP_!" Liepard emphasized.

"Well...how would you feel if I told you guys that there's a different hazard everytime a new set of Pokemon ride the coaster?" Deoxys asked.

"I'd feel like beating the shit out of both of you _psychic_ types." Liepard answered. "..But I won't, because I'm better than that."

Deoxys blinked, before chuckling sheepishly. "G-Good to know. Shellder, you're up next."

Shellder groaned. "Why me?"

"Why not?" Mewtwo responded with a question.

Shellder looked at members of the other team, and he wasn't really sure who to choose. "Uh... I really don't know."

"Then I'll choose for you, since we don't have all day." Mewtwo interrupted. "Leafeon, go with him."

"HUH?!" Shellder squeaked.

Leafeon chuckled deviously. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

 **000**

" **Oh, Arceus, oh Arceus, oh Arceus!" Shellder squealed. "I'm riding a roller coaster with a** _ **girl**_ **and I'm gonna make myself look bad because I'm** _ **terrified**_ **of heights! WHY!?"**

 **000**

Leafeon and Shellder began to go up the thrill ride. Shellder held onto the bars like Mudkip did, as he was also tiny.

The Bivalve Pokemon looked down from where he was hanging, and seeing how far up they had gone caused him to gulp in fear. "Oh man...I think I'm gonna be sick." He whimpered.

Knowing how fragile the water type was around girls, Leafeon decided to mess with his head a bit. "Hey Shellder, I'm sure all you want to do is impress a hot woman like me."

Shellder blushed, beginning to break a sweat, turning his attention towards the Grass type Eeveelution. "Y-yeah, that's exactly w-what I want t-to do…"

"So, how about you take off of those handlebars, and ride the rollercoaster like the strong man you are." Leafeon cajoled convincingly. "You are strong, right?"

Shellder didn't know how to feel about this. On one hand, this is the first time anyone, let alone a girl, called him strong. But on the other hand, he felt that it could possibly be bait, and that she was trying to get him to scream and lose the challenge.

But _man_ , the strength label was just too good to pass up. So, albeit nervous, he jumped off the handlebars, and sat on the long chair. "Yeah...I'm strong...I'm really stro-"

As soon as he said that, the Culinary Catastrophe immediately dropped.

Shellder screeched and immediately jumped back onto the handlebars. "I'M WEAK, I'M WEAK, I'M WEEEEEEAK!" He screamed, trilling the final 'weak'.

 **000**

 **Leafeon was laughing her tail off in the confessional.**

 **000**

" _I'M WEAK, I'M WEAK, I'M WEEEEEEAK_!" The contestants in the seating area heard from the voice telegrapher.

"We are so fucked…" Salazzle moaned.

 **000**

Leafeon had a look of annoyance on her face as Shellder continued to scream in a high pitched manner as they went through the twists. Shellder, who had his eyes shut extremely tight, opened his eyes, and seeing the loop right before his eyes caused him to yelp before closing them once again.

"Oh, grow up, It's just a loop!" Leafeon jeered, seemingly unaffected by the loop. Once the loop finished, some salt from a salt shaker poured down...and Leafeon made the mistake of looking up.

"AAH, WHAT THE HELL!?" Leafeon barked, immediately closing her eyes due to feeling the burn from the salt.

As the cart made it back to the seating area, the contestants wondered what food item poured onto the cart this time.

"Congratulations, Leafeon! You-"

"Cut the shit, Deoxys!" Leafeon interrupted brashly, rubbing her eyes. "I can't see anything!"

"Um...sorry?"

Shellder was still holding onto the handlebars taking deep breaths. "Oh man… thank Arceus it's over."

"Thank Arceus, indeed." Salazzle concurred, giving the clam a look. "Seriously, you give Gastly a run for his money by how frightened you sound."

"She isn't wrong." Gastly admitted, albeit a little embarrassed.

"Umbreon, you're next."

Umbreon glanced at the other team, and smiled deviously once he made his choice.

"Gastly."

"What?!" Gastly squealed.

"Smart choice, Umbreon." Mewtwo complimented. "You should take this one easily."

"Not making this any better for me!" Gastly frantically exclaimed.

"Who said I was trying to?" Mewtwo retorted.

"Okay, enough." Deoxys interrupted. "Just get in the cart."

Umbreon got in the cart without, but Gastly just stared at the cart in horror.

 **000**

" **This is how I die. Riding a thrill ride with a dark type, and one that I made mad yesterday at that!" Gastly babbled. "This is** _ **actually**_ **how I'm going to die!"**

 **000**

The skittish ghost eventually got on the roller coaster, and he tried to put on his seatbelt...but it went right through him, and he couldn't hold the handlebars because he didn't have hands.

"Oh no…" Gastly croaked.

"Alright, we're starting." Deoxys announced, before pulling the lever.

"Wait, I'm not ready!" Gastly exclaimed in panic.

"Oh, calm down; you're a ghost, you can just make yourself invisible to avoid the shock." Umbreon suggested.

"No. That would be cheating." Mewtwo argued. "Feeling the shock is kinda the point of the challenge."

The cart left the waiting area as soon as Mewtwo said that, and unsurprisingly, Gastly was in complete panic mode.

Umbreon rolled his eyes at how squirmish the ghost was. "Will you get your shit together? Your panicking is driving me crazy!"

"I can't help it! I don't know what to do!" Gastly squealed. "I can't put my seatbelt on, I can't go invisible, and I'm next to a dark type looking like he's trying to kill me!"

"Oh, you-"

Umbreon paused, as the cart stop, getting ready to drop. Gastly couldn't handle the suspense, and fainted.

When the cart dropped, Umbreon yelped in shock and fright. The speed of the coaster and the twists made him a little nauseous, but he wasn't worried, as Gastly wasn't even conscious.

"Woah!" Umbreon yelled, as the cart went over the loop. When the loop finished...a small vanilla cake dropped on them.

Umbreon wiped the frosting that got on him off of his face. "You have got to be kidding me." He drawled.

The roller coaster ended, and Umbreon was feeling pretty confident about his wi-

"Gastly wins!"

"WHAT!?" The Moonlight Pokemon barked. "How?! Gastly was scared shitless and he fainted!"

"But he didn't scream, now did he?" Mewtwo asked rhetorically.

"I didn't scream that much either!"

"No offense, but you still screamed, and objective of the challenge was to _not_ scream, so you lost." Deoxys explained timidly, hoping Umbreon wouldn't be even more mad.

Umbreon huffed, before walking back to his team. A few seconds later, Gastly woke up from his 'slumber'. "..Is this heaven?" He asked groggily.

"Sorry, but no. However, you did win against Umbreon." Deoxys answered.

"I did?" Gastly inquired in shock. "How?"

"You fainted, and apparently, that doesn't count against you." Umbreon seethed grumpily.

"Oh. Cool."

"Okay, next round," Deoxys started, as Gastly made his way back to his team. "Torterra, choose your opponent."

Torterra sighed, not feeling up to riding a thrill ride that dropped food. "I don't know...Zweilous?"

"Me?" Zweilous queried, surprised by his choice.

"Yeah, why him?" Salazzle echoed his question. "Why not someone like Gliscor or Jangmo-o?"

"Oh, not me. I've had enough rollercoaster time." Jangmo-o admitted.

"Wait, you two didn't get coins because you decided to go on a ride instead of actually _doing_ the challenge!?" Meganium challenged in absolute fury.

"Yeah, we did, sorry." Gliscor apologized. "But it was a fun ride! You should try it!"

Some of his teammates glared at him.

 **000**

" **Is it the things that I say that make everyone so mad at me?" Gliscor inquired. "Why doesn't anyone here like positivity?"**

 **000**

Torterra and Zweilous were now riding the rollercoaster.

"So, why _did_ you pick me, exactly?" Zweilous inquired.

"No reason, really," Torterra answered, "I just didn't know who else to pick."

"I mean, Salazzle had a point, you _could've_ picked one of our weaker team members. But instead you chose me, and I'm not backing down." The Hostile Pokemon bragged, wanting to provoke him.

But Torterra wasn't having it. "Well, I won't back down either."

"You better hope you don't scream." Zweilous continued to taunt, "Because-AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

 **000**

" _AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

The Majority of the Blazikens were laughing their asses off at Zweilous' terror, while the Sceptiles groaned in embarrassment.

Charjabug wiped a tear from his eye. "Man, Zweilous must be screaming at 200 Hertz!"

"What does that even mean?!" Illumise challenged, glaring at him.

"It's a measurement of how loud one is screaming." Charjabug explained, a casual look on his face.

"You know this stuff?" Shellder queried in amazement.

"Of course, I know all." Charjabug joked.

Moments later, the cart came back, with whip cream on the two riding the coaster.

Zweilous immediately jumped out of the cart, puking from both of his heads.

"Okay, _that_ is gross." Zangoose remarked, quickly turning her head away from the two-headed dragon.

"What the hell was that, Zweilous!?" Meganium scolded, glowering at him.

"Torture! It was torture!" Zweilous retorted. "And you shouldn't even be mad, we're still winning, anyway!"

"True, but the Blaziken's could always come back." Deoxys stated.

"I'm not counting on it though." Mewtwo gibed.

"No one asked for your input." Tyranitar chastised.

"I agree." Deoxys concurred, ignoring Mewtwo's offended look. "I think it's pretty obvious Torterra round that round, so Zangoose, you're up."

Zangoose sighed. "I'll choose Kirlia."

"Oh?" Kirlia responded in surprise.

 **000**

" **I want to see what Kirlia's capable of." Zangoose explained, "Since he's suddenly into weightlifting, I might as well let this be a test to see if he's ready or not."**

 **000**

After Zangoose and Kirlia put their seatbelts on, the rollercoaster began.

"So, Zangoose, why did you choose me?" Kirlia asked, still confused by her choice.

"To test you." Zangoose responded, as-a-matter-of-factly. "Let's see if you're really ready to lift weights."

"Oh, okay." Kirlia conceded, before taking a deep breath. "I can do this, I can definitely do this."

Soon enough, the roller coaster reached its peak, and Kirlia gulped nervously. "Oh boy…"

When the ride dropped, Kirlia screamed, although not as loud as some of the others who competed earlier, and held onto the bars tightly. Zangoose, and the other hand, held a neutral expression on her face, folding her arms.

Kirlia felt sick as the cart went through the twists, and it took a lot for him to hold in some vomit. He wanted to impress Zangoose, after all.

Then, there was that huge loop, and Kirlia couldn't hold in his barf any longer, and he let it go.

"Gross, dude." Zangoose groused, recoiling in disgust. After the loop, some french fries poured from the bowl above them.

"Fries? What the hell?" Kirlia questioned.

The cart then came back to the waiting area.

"And Zangoose wins!" Deoxys announced.

Kirlia was coughing due to the bad taste in his mouth, and to his surprise, he heard a "You're ready." from Zangoose.

 **000**

" **I...am?" Kirlia asked, completely bewildered.**

 **000**

Meganium groaned. "Guys, you need to stand your ground! We can't lose our lead!"

"Good!" Tyranitar taunted. " _We_ are winning this challenge!"

"Shut up and stay in your place!" Leafeon ordered. "Besides, you don't-"

"Hey, Deoxys, let's get a move on here!" Tyranitar interrupted. He knew exactly what Leafeon was about to say, and he didn't want _anyone_ to know.

"Okay, okay, you can go next." Deoxys defensively replied.

"Perfect!" The Armor Pokemon shouted in feigned confidence, "I choose the Scorpion Bat, whatever the hell he's supposed to be!"

"Yay! More rides!" Gliscor cheered.

 **000**

" **I absolutely** _ **cannot**_ **lose this." Tyranitar expressed. "I already embarrassed myself with Meganium and Leafeon, so I can't afford to embarrass myself in front of everyone else!"**

" **Am I scared? Hell yeah I am, but I can't show fear, especially not in front of Gliscor. Instead, I need to keep this facade up..."**

 **000**

"You are so screwed." Tyranitar jeered, as he and Gliscor sat on the cart.

"What makes you say that?" Gliscor asked.

"Because I'm gonna win! That's why!" Tyranitar brashly answered.

"Good luck!"

"Okay, you two, we're starting." Deoxys announced.

The Alien pulled the lever, and with the cart starting to drive itself and leaving the seating area, Tyranitar couldn't help but already feel sick to his stomach already.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Gliscor exulted.

"Yeah, well it won't be when Deoxys announces that _I_ won the challenge." Tyranitar shot back.

"How do you know for sure that you'll win?" Gliscor inquired, confused by his confidence.

"Because I'm a fierce trooper. That's how." Tyranitar answered...although he knew none of what he said was true.

"Okay!" Gliscor replied, accepting that answer.

The cart was just about 9 feet away from the top of the rollercoaster, and Tyranitar took a deep breath. " _Okay, Tyranitar, don't scream, you cannot scream. Don't...scream…_ " He thought to himself.

As soon as they reached the top, the coaster paused, and Tyranitar and Gliscor both felt the suspense. And exactly two seconds later, the coaster zoomed down the drop.

Tyranitar couldn't even hold his scream in due to the shock, as his screams sounded even louder and more obnoxious than Zweilous' screams earlier. Gliscor, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.

"I HATE THIS RIDE SO MUCH!" Tyranitar blustered, as the twists continued.

"I LOVE THIS RIDE SO MUCH!" Gliscor cheered.

After those rapid twists was the loop, and seeing this loop made Tyranitar feel faint, although he managed to keep his consciousness through the loop, although he was still screaming. After the loop, a large pepperoni pizza fell on top of the two.

"Pizza!" Gliscor cheered, taking off a piece and eating it.

Tyranitar groaned in shame, already knowing that he screwed up.

"And the Sceptiles win the challenge!" Deoxys announced. "Blazikens, you guys have the pleasure of going to the first elimination of this season!"

"I told you they weren't making a comeback." Mewtwo reminded, folding his arms.

The Sceptiles cheered, while the Blazikens groaned, a few of them glaring at Tyranitar.

"Nice going, Tyranitar." Bruxish sneered.

"You guys can place blame when we get back to the hotel." Deoxys said, "Speaking of which, let's head back to the plane. It'll be 7:30 by the time we get back, and you'll have a half hour to decide who you guys want to vote out."

Everyone left the Culinary Catastrophe, except for Tyranitar, who just sat inside the cart, with a dejected look on his face.

 **000**

" **I can't believe it. I fucked up and embarrassed myself** _ **twice**_ **today…" Tyranitar lamented, holding his head in shame.**

" **I might as well just vote myself off…"**

 **000**

Once the plane got back to the hotel, all of the contestants immediately went upstairs to their rooms.

 **000**

Salazzle was in the guys on her team's room. The guys, with the exception of Tyranitar, were all seated on the couch. The Toxic Lizard Pokemon told the guys who didn't already know everything about what Bruxish had said and done.

"So let me get this straight," Charjabug began to review, "Bruxish said she can play the game how she wants to, but claims that she's flirting for the good of this team?"

"Exactly." Salazzle replied. "Pretty twisted logic, isn't it?"

"True." Torterra agreed. "I think we should absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, vote her out." He asserted, knowing Tyranitar was the other candidate.

"I don't know. While Bruxish isn't doing good for the team, Tyranitar _is_ the reason we lost today." Shellder reminded.

"Let's give him a chance." Torterra immediately suggested, not wanting Tyranitar to leave. "He could've learned his lesson and changed for the better."

"You do have a point. We could ditch Bruxish and let this elimination be a wakeup call to him." Umbreon concurred. "Besides, he's probably much stronger than Bruxish."

"So, we're in agreement that Bruxish should leave?" Salazzle asked for clarification.

"Yes, yes we are." Torterra quickly responded.

 **000**

"Okay, Bruxish, you better make a damn good case for why you should stay." Liepard advised.

"Gladly." Bruxish sneered. "Tyranitar is the one that fucked up the challenge and made us go to elimination, and to make matters worse, he lost to a 5 year old Gligar in a Gliscor's body!" She exclaimed, before turning her attention towards Frillish. "And you! You and Tyranitar have been talking shit about everyone since we got to the airport last night, I don't know why you aren't in contention for elimination!"

"You know, Bruxish, if you want to save yourself from elimination, you shouldn't be talking ill to your peer that's also seen as a contender." Frillish advised, in a snarky manner.

"Meanwhile, I'm just doing something that could actually be useful and it's part of the game, and I'm the one being ridiculed!" Bruxish hissed.

"Bruxish, you used attract on someone who wants nothing to do with you." Zangoose stressed. "However, you are correct about Tyranitar and Frillish also being possibilities."

"Exa-wait, what?"

"Just give us time to think about it." Mareanie chimed in. "I'm not in the mood for hearing pointless arguing and seeing petty cat fights over a Arceus damn game."

"We're here to win money and an extended vacation, though." Liepard reminded.

"I know, but it's still a game." Mareanie repeated. "Regardless of whether you win or not, your life won't change either way, unless you do something really fucked up. So my point is, it ain't that deep."

" _BLAZIKENS, IT'S NOW TIME FOR ELIMINATION_!"

Zangoose sighed. "Welp, there goes our time to think about it."

"Please, make the correct decision." Bruxish implored, as she was the first to leave the room.

 **000**

The elimination area was in the hotel lobby. There were 11 chairs, as many as there were team members. 5 were in the front row, and the other 6 were in the back.

The Blazikens all came down the elevator, and none of them had smiles on their faces. When they walked into the lobby, the looked around the elimination area, before taking a seat on the chairs.

Once they sat down, Deoxys appeared, and seeing the looks on their faces, Deoxys wanted to lighten the mood. "So, how are you guys feeling?"

Mareanie deadpanned. "Our team is at the first elimination of the show. How do you _think_ we feel?"

"...Honored?"

The Blazikens gave Deoxys unamused looks, causing him to sweatdrop. "Okay...let's go on with the elimination, shall we?" He asked rhetorically. "As you all know, the player with the most votes against them is going home, so here's how you vote."

Deoxys pointed to the front desk, "The front desk is where you all will vote. You vote by simply writing a check mark on the fake ID of the contestant you want gone. I'll call you up to vote one at a time. Frillish, you'll start us off."

The jellyfish smiled at this, as she floated up to the front desk.

There was a soundproof dome around the front desk, and Frillish, being a ghost type, could phase right through it.

"Finding Dory is out of here." Frillish stated, check marking Bruxish's ID. She then exited the voting area.

"Mareanie, you're next." Deoxys said.

Mareanie, being as small as she was, jumped off of her chair, and went to the voting area.

"I don't really care what happens, but Bruxish did have a point." She claimed, checkmarking Tyranitar's ID.

The voting process continued from there.

"Torterra."

"Liepard."

"Charjabug."

"Umbreon."

"Salazzle."

"Tyranitar."

"Bruxish."

"Shellder."

After Shellder walked out of the voting dome, it was Zangoose's turn.

"Zangoose, you're-"

"I'm the last one, I know." Zangoose interrupted. She walked over to the voting dome, and when she got inside, she looked at both Bruxish's and Tyranitar's IDs in thought.

"Well, it looks like it won't matter what I do anyways." She said.

After voting, she walked out of the dome, and sat back down on her chair, folding her arms.

Deoxys then used psychic on the fake IDs, and observed them for a few seconds. "You know, I expected this to be a close one, but I was wrong. The elimination prize will just be potato chips, and, of course, there are only ten of them."

"The following contestants did not get any votes," The DNA Pokemon continued. "Mareanie, Liepard, Zangoose, Umbreon, Torterra, Shellder, Salazzle, Charjabug, and surprisingly, Frillish."

Deoxys handed them their bags of chips using Psychic. The only two that got votes were Tyranitar and Bruxish. Bruxish was intensely staring at the IDs, seemingly determined not to leave, while Tyranitar was significantly less confident, and was visibly nervous.

"The vote was 9-2." Deoxys said. "The first Pokemon to be eliminated from Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis is…"

Bruxish kept here determined look, while Tyranitar began to sweat in nervousness.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Bruxish."

Both Bruxish's and Tyranitar's jaws dropped, as Deoxys handed Tyranitar the last bag of chips.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Bruxish protested. "What gives?!"

"You could be much more dangerous later in the game." Zangoose began to explain. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I thought ahead of time when voting. "Plus, me voting Tyranitar wouldn't have changed anything."

"And you've probably damaged the team's reputation the most, between you, Tyranitar, and Frillish." Umbreon added. "At least Tyranitar seems like he regretted his actions, while you just keep doubling down."

"Bullshit." Bruxish growled.

"Sorry, Bruxish, but you're done." Deoxys confirmed. "Wait outside; the elimination bus will be here in a few minutes."

Bruxish scoffed. "You will all regret this…" Were her final words, as she went out the doors in dissatisfaction.

"Okay guys, you're dismissed." Deoxys said, before teleporting away from the vicinity.

The Blazikens, with the exception of a still shocked Tyranitar got out of their seats, taking their chip bags with them. Tyranitar, on the other hand, just stayed seated, seemingly in deep thought.

"What just happened?" He finally uttered.

 **000**

" **Yeah, I'm definitely giving up this 'tough guy' facade." Tyranitar declared. "I'm not tough, at all, and everyone sees it now, so there's not point in hiding that."**

" **I need to be an actual team player if I want to win this."**

 **000**

" **Okay, Bruxish being gone is a huge weight off of my-I mean the team's shoulders." Salazzle remarked. "Now we just need Frillish out, and if Tyranitar still acts like a boastful little shit, then he'll get axed as well."**

 **000**

 **Frillish huffed, folding her flippers, "I don't know why these jerks are calling me out, after I exposed Bruxish for the pathetic sack of filth that she is."**

" **Maybe they just didn't want to express their thankfulness in front of Bruxish."**

 **000**

 **Aaaand I'm finally done. This didn't take nearly as long as the first chapter, but school still held me back. A lot happened this chapter, between unexpected interactions like Kirlia/Zangoose and Gastly/Frillish,** _ **3**_ **alliances forming, and a few foreshadowed romances...but I'm obviously not saying anything about that.**

 **On another note, I GOT OVER 20K WORDS. This is a whole new record for me, and I honestly did not expect to have this many words….but then again, people in the TPI community have had significantly longer chapters than this, so this probably isn't much of an accomplishment. Anyways, that's all I really have to say, Bruxish?**

 **...** _ **BRUXISH**_ **!**

 **Bruxish: What? Oh, right, read and review, or whatever.**


	3. That's Ranch Coming From You

**Announcer: "Previously on Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis!"**

 **The flashback showed footage of the Airport Tropolis bus driving in episode 1 and then shows footage of some of the planes from that episode.**

" **22 aspiring teenagers, some legal adults, join the show to win a million poke dollars, and extended summer vacation!"**

" **A few alliances began..."**

 **000**

" **One with Mudkip, Gastly, Gliscor, and Jangmo-o,"**

" _A-Anyways, I was wondering if you three would like to be in an alliance with me._ " The flashback footage showed Mudkip proposing his alliance.

 **000**

" **An unconfirmed one with Umbreon, Liepard, and Salazzle."**

" _I wanted to form an alliance with the two of you._ " The footage showed Umbreon proposing another alliance to the girls.

 **000**

" **And one more with the girls of the Sceptiles."**

" _Now that everyone's here, I'd like to propose an alliance with all of you._ " The footage showed Meganium proposing her alliance, and the girls agreeing.

 **000**

" **The location was Nimbasa City, and the first challenge was to get as many coins as possible." The announcer continued.**

" **Some did well," The footage showed Mareanie getting a perfect score on that gun game, "While others screwed up," The footage then showed Tyranitar bombing the baseball game.**

 **000**

" **And for some reason, Bruxish thought it would be a good idea to use attract on Mudkip." The footage showed Mudkip growing hearts on his eyes, as Bruxish used Attract on him.**

" **Frillish and Gastly exposed her, thankfully, and it put her in contention for elimination." The footage then showed some of the Blazikens reprimanding her.**

 **000**

" **The Blazikens won the first challenge, so their advantage next challenge was to choose who they would ride 'The Culinary Catastrophe' with. And due to Tyranitar screaming his ass off, the Blazikens were sent to elimination." The footage showed Tyranitar screaming his head off, while Gliscor was actually having fun.**

 **000**

" **The elimination was between Bruxish and Tyranitar, and much to both of their shocks, Tyranitar was the one safe, while Bruxish had to leave." The footage showed Bruxish storming out the door, as well as Tyranitar's shocked expression.**

 **000**

" **What will happen this episode? Will romances form? Will rivalries grow? Find out here on Total Pokemon Airport Tropolis!"**

 **000**

" _BLAZIKENS, IT'S NOW TIME FOR ELIMINATION_!"

The Blazikens were now heading to the first elimination ceremony of the season. Meanwhile, the Sceptiles were just relaxing.

 **000**

"Here's to winning the first challenge of the season!" Leafeon praised in a boastful manner, before sipping on a Pepsi can that she had, "Thanks to my bright leadership!"

"We all contributed somewhat today," Meganium said, "Well, all of _us_ did," She corrected herself, remembering that Jangmo-o and Gliscor didn't even do the first challenge.

"True that," Delphox 'agreed'. It was funny because _she_ didn't do the challenge either, but the girls had completely looked over that.

All of the girls were in a good mood...minus Illumise, but she hid that fact well enough to not be noticeable.

She nearly had her privacy violated twice, and it was overwhelming her. She didn't understand why Delphox wanted to know about her personal life so much, especially when it could damage her already weak reputation. She was even worried it could disqualify her from the show! But she couldn't show that she was worried, as they would be suspicious of her, and she was sure Delphox already was.

Suddenly, the girls heard someone repeatedly knocking, and it was getting really annoying.

"Ugh, who _is_ that?" Meganium grunted in annoyance. She marched towards the door, ready to give the perpetrator a piece of her mind. The dinosaur peeked out the door's peephole and saw Gliscor, who waved in response to seeing Meganium.

The Grass-type starter sighed, before opening the door. "What do you want?"

"Delphox asked me to see her for a chat after the challenge," Gliscor answered, seemingly unaware of Meganium's rudeness.

"Delphox?" Illumise asked, and then she remembered that the Fox Pokemon was looking for him during the challenge without actually doing it. The other girls may not have noticed, but Illumise did.

"Ah, yes. Come in here with me," Delphox directed as Gliscor followed to her shared room.

"This is a nice room," Gliscor complimented, despite it not looking any different from the boy's side.

Illumise, squinted at the two of them in thought, as Delphox closed the door after Gliscor glided in.

"You okay, Illumise?" Luxio inquired, noticing Illumise's expressions, "You haven't said anything until Gliscor came in."

"Yeah, I'm fine," She lied, "I'm just exhausted from the flight back."

 **000**

"It was really nice of you to invite me to your room!" Gliscor chirped.

"Don't mention it," Delphox replied. "You're on our team; it's what teammates do."

Gliscor nodded in agreement, "So, what did you want to talk about."

"I just wanted to tell you to watch your back," Delphox answered...and then Gliscor looked behind him.

"No, not literally," The Fire/Psychic type clarified. "Look, let me put it this way, you miss your parents, right?"

"Of course I do," Gliscor replied, "I bet they're worried sick about me, too. It would really be nice to see them again."

"I see," Delphox responded. "Well, how would you feel if I were to be your 'guide'?"

"That would be great!" Gliscor approved, but his expression went from a look of approval to one of confusion, "Because this game is confusing to me so far. Why does everyone here seem so negative? Is it my fault?"

"I assure you, it isn't your fault." Delphox assured, "And your talk about negativity brings me into what I wanted to clarify. Look out for any sluts and whores on the team, or the other team."

"What?"

"Good talk," Delphox quickly responded. "You're dismissed."

"Oh...okay," A puzzled Gliscor complied.

When the two of them walked out of Delphox's room, Illumise noticed Gliscor's confused look.

When Gliscor left the girl's room, Illumise immediately asked, "What was that meeting about?"

"I just told him to get his head in the game, since he didn't do the last challenge," Delphox lied.

"Good call," Leafeon complimented. "We need everyone on this team to get their head in this game."

Illumise didn't say anything else, but she wasn't buying it. Delphox told her that she was looking for Gliscor _before_ it was revealed that he and Jangmo-o didn't do the first challenge, plus, Gliscor excelled in the second one.

 **000**

" **Yeah, Delphox is a bold-faced liar," Illumise concluded, deadpanned. "Gliscor may not be bright, but he's definitely useful, as we saw in that roller coaster challenge earlier, so he doesn't necessarily** _ **need**_ **to get his head in the game, at least not as much as the other guys."**

" **There has to be more to this…"**

 **000**

"Dude, you were terrified!" Jangmo-o cackled. The Guys on the Sceptiles were joking about how loud Zweilous was screaming on the roller coaster earlier.

"It was just a shock," Zweilous argued, knowing that he was kidding himself. Zweilous knew he was the resident 'smart alec' of the show, and he didn't want to lose that reputation. "Besides, Kirlia, Mudkip and Gastly were all scared too!"

"We didn't sound like we were getting third-degree burns, though." Kirlia teasingly shot back.

"I mean, if it makes you feel any better, I was so scared that I fainted," Gastly chimed in, wanting to make Zweilous feel better.

Zweilous rolled his invisible eyes, "Yeah..that _definitely_ makes me feel better.."

Just then, the door opened, and it was no one other than Gliscor. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon still held his confused expression.

"Uh, Gliscor, what happened?" Mudkip queried, taking note of Gliscor's look. "How did the meeting with Delphox go?"

Gliscor didn't say anything for a few seconds, before eventually letting out an "I...don't know."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Zweilous questioned, before flinching when Kirlia nudged him.

"Well...I have a question. What do sluts and whores mean?" He asked.

The other guys stared at Gliscor in surprise.

"You mean...you don't know what either of those words means?" Kirlia inquired.

"Of course not," Gliscor answered as if it was an obvious question. "Are they new words?"

"No, they aren't, but that's a conversation that we as guys aren't comfortable discussing." A visibly uncomfortable Gastly explained.

"Why?"

"Let's just not worry about it tonight," Mudkip suggested. "I'll uh...ask Delphox what she meant by that tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." Gliscor approved, his usual bright mood coming back. "Thanks!"

 **000**

 **Mudkip sighed. "I feel like I might've gotten myself into trouble for saying that."**

" **Well...I can't get out of this now. Maybe Delphox will soften the terms so I can explain to him in a safe way."**

 **000**

The Blazikens were now coming back from elimination, with most of them wearing satisfied looks.

 **000**

The girls went back into their room in silence, which irked Frillish. She felt that since she exposed Bruxish and got her eliminated, the other girls should thank her. So, she decided to speak out on it.

"So, I'm sure you are all thankful that I exposed the goldfish and got her eliminated," Frillish applauded herself. "So if you were waiting to praise me after we got back here, now is the time to do so."

The other girls just gave her looks.

"Uh...good job?" Liepard answered questioningly. "What do you want, a cookie?"

"A coo- no, I don't want a cookie! I want some respect!" Frillish snapped.

"Then be more respectful," Mareanie responded tonelessly. "Besides, you didn't get any coins either."

"Also, are your flippers...painted?" Zangoose queried.

Frillish looked at her purple and red 'manicure'. "It isn't painted, it's a manicure."

"That's what a manicure _is_ , Frillish," Liepard stated.

"In other words, you didn't do the challenge," Salazzle concluded.

"Hey, I did the challenge!" Frillish protested defensively, "I mean...we all looked for games!"

"But you either did really poorly on them...or you didn't do shit," Salazzle retorted. "What we're trying to say is, you need to _earn_ some respect, and until you actually do something that benefits the team, you're at the bottom of the pecking order along with Tyranitar. So get good, or go home."

The rest of the girls went separate ways, while Frillish just stayed in place, folding her arms with a huff. She made it look like she didn't care what the others said, but in reality, her feelings were hurt.

 **000**

" **I can't believe it...they just rejected me.." Frillish lamented. "I** _ **did**_ **do something to benefit the team...and they just didn't even care.."**

 **The jellyfish then sighed. "Maybe I should try to be nicer to them and lower my ego. I'm just so used to being validated by my parents and being treated like a queen, so I just started acting like a literal queen. And now that no one here is having it, what can I really do other than...receiveth valorous?"**

 **000**

"I still can't believe it." Tyranitar marveled. "How on earth did I survive elimination?"

"You just so happened to screw up less than Bruxish did," Umbreon answered, despite Tyranitar's question being a rhetorical question. "Don't take it as an accomplishment, take it as a warning."

"Right, right," Tyranitar conceded. "Hey, Torterra, can we..talk for a bit?"

"Wait, really?" Torterra asked in pleasant surprise, before clearing his throat. "I mean, of course, we can."

When Tyranitar went into their room, Umbreon grinned at the Sinnoh grass type starter. "Looks like my advice worked,"

"Technically, it was originally Torterra's own advice," Shellder pointed out.

"Yeah, he just didn't follow through with it until you re-suggested it," Charjabug added.

"Which is exactly why _I'm_ taking credit for it," Umbreon retorted, glaring at the nerds.

Torterra chuckled to himself, before entering his shared room with Tyranitar, and closing the door behind him. He decided not to tell Umbreon that he tried to talk to Tyranitar earlier back in Nimbasa, so Umbreon could enjoy his 'victory'.

Tyranitar was laying down on his bed, with a seemingly exhausted expression on his face.

"So, Tyranitar...what did you want to talk about?" Torterra inquired, trying to hide his excitement because, on the inside, he was squeaking in delight.

"I just wanted to say sorry," Tyranitar replied, cutting right to the chase. "Me acting all tough was just a facade to make you guys think I was strong."

"Of course you're strong," Torterra assured, "You're a Tyranitar, for Arceus' sake!"

"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." Tyranitar said. "I'm not doing any more of that, and that's a promise."

"Nice," Torterra commented, although it wasn't just a friendly compliment. Torterra was really admiring Tyranitar's willingness to change, and it made him think, did he actually have a chance with him now?

Tyranitar could sense Torterra's hidden tone, and turned towards the Continent Pokemon. "Torterra...I know you like me."

Torterra's eyes widened, "You do? Uh-I mean...what are you talking about?"

Tyranitar sighed, hesitating to say something else, "Look, Torterra...I'm straight...and I have a girlfriend."

"Wait, you _do_?" A shocked and crestfallen Torterra sputtered.

"Yes, I do," Tyranitar confirmed. "I think you're a nice person, but I'm off limits."

Torterra sighed in disappointment, but he ultimately accepted the revelation. "Okay."

Torterra walked out of the room, and when he closed the door back, Tyranitar groaned to himself, before flopping back down on his bed. "Why, Tyranitar...just why? You had one job!"

 **000**

" **Welp...looks like that opportunity got thrown in the trash can," Torterra lamented, before sighing. "But at least we're on good terms now, and I'm happy with that.."**

" **But it's gonna take a lot to get over him…"**

 **000**

Deoxys was in his room of the Hall of Origins, currently viewing the most recent episode. He held an exhausted expression, as he still wasn't happy with how the episode's quality, although he considered it to be better than the first one.

The DNA Pokemon let out a lengthy sigh, before asking himself, "What am I missing? What can I be doing better?"

"Deoxys!"

Deoxys groaned, "You have got to be kidding me…"

He teleported himself away.

 **000**

Deoxys already knew that Arceus wanted to talk to him about the 2nd episode, so he teleported himself right to Arceus' room.

"So, I'm assuming that Mewtwo is still at the airport once again." Arceus deduced.

"Yeah, he probably is," Deoxys responded. "I bet he went to that strip club too."

"Well...go _get_ him," Arceus ordered.

"No way! I am _not_ going back inside that strip club!" Deoxys objected, but as soon as he saw Arceus' glower, he immediately regretted what he said. "Uh, s-sorry.."

Arceus sighed. "Fine. You don't have to go, but make sure you tell him this: This episode was better than the first one, but try to make the challenges feel less...dragged out."

Deoxys nodded. "Sounds perfect."

"Before you go, I have a few challenge ideas I'd like to offer." Arceus offered. "One of them could be a radio station hosting in Goldenrod city."

Deoxys' interest was piqued, "That sounds interesting.."

"Another one I was thinking about was a roundup challenge in Paniola town." Arceus continued to suggest, "There are a lot of Tauros and Miltank there, so that would make for something interesting."

"I gotta say, I'm liking where you're going with these suggestions." Deoxys complimented. He felt like he overdid it with the previous challenge, so he liked that Arceus was making simple suggestions.

"The last one that I can currently think of is just a simple quiz, with a twist." Arceus began, "It could be at Saffron city, and your contestants could try to find matching Pokeballs."

"Those sound perfect." Deoxys complimented once more. "It's gonna be hard to just choose one."

Deoxys immediately teleported away, leaving Arceus to sigh. "He does realize he can just do all three, right?"

 **000**

Deoxys appeared right back to the hotel lobby, and much to his surprise, Mewtwo was there with his Liepard girlfriend...and they were making out on the couch.

Deoxys groaned. "Uh... _Mewtwo_?"

The two of them heard Deoxys and diverted their attention towards him. "'Sup?" Mewtwo greeted.

"I thought you two were at Sassy's."

"We were, but some drunk bastard started a fight, and we ditched the place." The Liepard explained...sounding a little drunk herself.

"Oh...that honestly makes sense," Deoxys remarked. "Stuff like that is why I hate strip clubs...or any environment with a lot of drinking and smoking."

"Oh, it was just one event." Mewtwo defensively assured. "I don't think that's ever happened in any other club I've been to."

"Let's not worry about that," Deoxys advised, not wanting to talk about a strip club. "So, I just had a talk with Arceus, and she said that the most recent episode was an improvement over the first one."

"Nice!" Mewtwo praised with a grin. "I knew things would-"

"But," Deoxys interrupted, "She still said that we shouldn't drag out any challenges, and she gave a few suggestions for easy challenges."

"Okay...that's _also_ nice."

"The first one was a challenge in Goldenrod city involving radio hosting, the second one was a roundup challenge in Paniola town since there's a lot of Miltank and Tauros there, and the final one was a poke-ball finding challenge at Silph Corporation, that could also have a quiz," Deoxys said.

Mewtwo hummed, "I gotta say, those are some nice suggestions."

"So? Which one should we do?" Deoxys inquired.

"Why can't we just do all of them?" Mewtwo asked in response, "Since she gave us the ideas, we might as well use them instead of just sticking with one."

"We can?" Deoxys asked, a little surprised, "I honestly didn't think of that."

"The better question would be, which one should we use _first_?" Mewtwo queried, "Because you're the main host; you call the shots."

"I don't know," Deoxys answered, "I'll have to sleep on it."

"Boo, can we go to the Hall of Origins?" The Liepard asked, "I really wanna see that place."

"Uh...I hate to be that guy, but I don't think ordinary Pokemon are allowed in there," Deoxys said.

"Deoxys, you're _always_ that guy," Mewtwo argued. "You know you love it."

Deoxys sighed, "Okay, fine, it is a _little_ satisfying telling people to follow orders, but I don't want Arceus to unleash her fury because you broke the rules."

"Then we'll just make sure he doesn't find out," Mewtwo remarked. "Let's go, babe."

Mewtwo promptly teleported the two of them away, and once they were gone, Deoxys plopped himself onto the couch they were just sitting on with a groan, "Being the voice of reason sucks."

 **000**

After the girls of the Sceptiles finished their 'mini party', Illumise called Delphox to her room.

Delphox sat on the bed that Illumise wasn't sleeping on, "So, what did you want to talk to me about, Illumise?"

Illumise took a deep breath, wanting to appear calm and collected. She didn't completely trust the bipedal fox, but she couldn't turn her away; she needed answers about the meeting with Gliscor in order for her to trust Delphox and be comfortable in the alliance.

"I want answers, Delphox," Illumise responded. "What did you and Gliscor talk about? I won't tell the others, because I can't."

"What do you mean you want answers?" Delphox questioned, "I already told everyone that I just told Gliscor to get his head in the game. Do you think I'm lying?"

"I _know_ you're lying," Illumise answered harshly. "Gliscor may not have done the first challenge, but he _won_ the second challenge for us. Besides, he's the only guy on our team that's fully evolved. If anyone needs to get their head in the game, it's probably Jangmo-o or Gastly."

"Let me ask you a question," Delphox replied, "Why would I have to lie?"

Illumise was about to answer, but she stopped in her tracks. She knew exactly why Delphox had to lie; because then she would figure out that she suspected that she was a prostitute...and then that would confirm to Delphox that she was. She had fallen right into her trap, and she couldn't get out of it.

Illumise sighed in defeat, "I know you're suspicious about my past," She started, "And...well…"

"You _did_ use to work at a strip club?"

"No, I was a prostitute, okay?" Illumise corrected, sounding distraught, "Now you know about my past, are you happy now?!"

"I'm not happy as much as I am satisfied," Delphox clarified. "Sorry to hear about this."

"Delphox, don't tell _anyone_ about this," Illumise seethed. "Is that clear?"

"I promise, I won't tell anyone," The Fire/Psychic type assured. "And just a piece of advice: don't worry about what others say about you."

"I'm not, but thanks for your concern," Illumise said flatly. "You can go."

 **000**

" **Illumise told me not to tell anyone that she was a prostitute, but she** _ **didn't**_ **say that I couldn't tell people to be suspicious of them, now did she?" Delphox asked rhetorically, with a wink.**

 **000**

" **Delphox never answered my question, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that she told Gliscor something that he...shouldn't have heard," Illumise concluded. "I'll have to talk to him and clear my name myself."**

 **000**

Delphox walked back into her room with Luxio, who was intensely focused on what she was watching on the TV. The screen showed a Roserade talking to an Incineroar from his car.

"Hey, Luxio, what are you watching?" Delphox asked.

"A documentary on prostitution," Luxio answered, not eyeing her. "It's absolutely sickening how women waste the lives that Arceus gave them on this scandalous mess."

Delphox didn't really care about Luxio's platitudes, but she decided to play along with them, anyway, "You're right, it is pretty tragic," She replied in faux agreement, before sitting on her bed. "It would be a shame if someone on our team turned out to be just like that."

"Absolutely," Luxio concurred. "We'd have to immediately vote the Pokemon in question off. We don't need that kind of toxicity on our team."

"I'm just glad that we don't," Delphox remarked. "But now would be a good time to start being suspicious, just to make _sure_ that we don't."

Luxio glanced at her in response, "You really think so?"

Delphox nodded, "Better safe than sorry, am I right?"

"Oh, you're absolutely right," Luxio agreed, cracking a smile. "After all, Arceus said that herself."

"Awesome," Delphox complimented. "I'm gonna go out to eat, you wanna come with?"

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Luxio insisted. When Delphox walked out of the room, Luxio began thinking to herself.

"Is Delphox...on to something?"

 **000**

" **I have a feeling Delphox is trying to tell me something," Luxio marveled. "But what?"**

 **000**

"I still can't believe Bruxish just controlled me like that," Mudkip groused, plopping himself onto his bed.

"Well, the Blazikens seemed to be mad at her for it, so she might've gotten eliminated," Gastly assured.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Mudkip agreed.

The two of them said nothing for a few seconds before Mudkip eventually broke the silence.

"So...I saw you with Frillish before I was hypnotized," Mudkip said. "Why were you with her?"

Gastly looked away from the Mud-Fish Pokemon in embarrassment, "Well...she kinda forced me to tag along with her...and by that I mean I didn't want to say no, so she took that as a yes."

"Oh...well that sucks," Mudkip empathized.

"It wasn't that bad, actually," Gastly insisted. "I don't know what it is, but something about her egotistical nature is...cute."

"Cute?" Mudkip queried. "That's interesting."

"Yeah, but I feel like it was just a 'today' thing; I feel like the others probably respect her more now since she exposed Bruxish," Gastly remarked.

"Also, about that...interaction we had with Luxio earlier…"

Gastly groaned, "I really don't want to talk about this…"

"Did you two get into an argument before I got onto the bus or something? Because I'm not following your rivalry," Mudkip inquired.

"It's not that; I hate getting into arguments. I think Luxio just hates me because I'm a ghost type from Lavender town," Gastly stated.

"Why would she hate you because of that?"

"I don't know!" Gastly suddenly yelped in anxiousness, before immediately shutting his mouth. "Uh...s-sorry about that…"

Mudkip was a little startled by his outburst, before responding, "You're fine, Gastly. Maybe you should talk to her about it," He suggested.

Gastly immediately paled at the thought of that, "I-I don't think that's a good idea," He stammered.

"Well, what else can you do?" Hoenn's water type starter asked.

"Avoid her at any and all costs?" Gastly questioningly answered, before smiling sheepishly.

Mudkip blinked, "Well...technically, you _could_ do that, but it'll be really hard considering she's on our team."

Gastly sighed in defeat, "I guess I should at least _try_ to talk to her...but it'll take a lot of courage that I don't have."

"That's the spirit!" Mudkip cheered, before pausing in realization, "Wait, I just realized that I copied Jangmo-o's pun."

Gastly giggled at this.

 **000**

 **Mudkip groaned, "Leading an alliance is so difficult, man."**

 **000**

Kirlia was heading to the weight room, even though Zangoose said that he shouldn't lift. But that wasn't why he was making his way there. Zangoose said that he was ready to lift by tomorrow, and he didn't understand why considering he failed the challenge, so he was hoping Zangoose would be there.

Once he made it to the weight room, he saw her squatting with weight on her shoulders, but she wasn't paying attention to him.

The Emotion Pokemon walked up to the Cat Ferret Pokemon, "Hey, Zangoose," He greeted.

Zangoose didn't respond; she only rose a brow, while still lifting. Why was Kirlia here?

"Uh...can you hear me?"

Zangoose sighed in annoyance, putting the weight back on the racks, before facing Kirlia, "Why are you here? I thought I told you not to lift until tomorrow."

"That isn't why I'm here," Kirlia clarified, knowing that Zangoose would assume that he wanted to lift, "I just needed to ask you something."

"Okay? What is it?" She queried.

"You said that I was ready to lift, and I don't understand why, because I screamed and lost against you in the challenge," Kirlia began to explain, "So...why _do_ you think I'm ready?"

"Well, you did do better in the challenge than certain others on your team," Zangoose answered. "Besides, I'm sure you really want this, so I decided to give it to you."

"Is that all?" Kirlia asked, "Nothing more?"

"Do you want to get stronger or not?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good," Zangoose remarked, "Meet me...actually, I'm not sure when you should start, considering there might be a challenge early, and we could be back late."

"Good point," Kirlia commented. "I'll see you tomorrow regardless, though."

 **000**

" **I still feel like there's more to it than that," Kirlia inferred, "But it doesn't matter because she's letting me do this anyway."**

 **000**

Umbreon was at the hotel lobby eating pizza. He didn't feel like hanging out with the guys in his room, since Charjabug, Shellder, and Torterra were doing geek stuff, and while he had no idea what Tyranitar was doing, he sure as hell didn't want to associate with him.

Salazzle and Liepard saw Umbreon when they came down from the elevator and got his attention, "Hey, Umbreon!" Salazzle called.

The Moonlight Pokemon looked up and saw the two girls, "Oh, hey girls."

The girls walked up to them, "Are you feeling alright?" Liepard inquired, noticing his less than excited tone.

"Yeah, I'm cool," Umbreon assured, "I"m just tired, I guess."

"So, I'm sure you'll be happy about this; I've decided to accept your alliance offer, so we're officially an alliance," Salazzle declared.

"Great!" Umbreon exulted, "I honestly thought you wouldn't want to."

"Well, considering our options are...limited, we were obligated to accept," Liepard stated.

"So, what's the plan?" Umbreon asked.

"I don't have a fully fleshed out plan just yet, but next time we lose, we should vote out either Frillish or Tyranitar if they don't change their ways," Salazzle answered, "After that, we'll have to see."

"Well, we shouldn't lose on purpose," Liepard replied, "Depending on whatever the challenge is tomorrow, we'll just have to make them participate to prove their worth."

"What if there's no elimination tomorrow at all?" Umbreon raised a question, "I know it's not likely but it's possible."

"I'm not counting on it," Salazzle remarked, "Deoxys doesn't seem too original so far, and knowing him, a long show would probably stress him out."

"Let's just hope that we don't lose," Liepard suggested, "And we should also hope we don't have a challenge as dumb as today's."

"I'm not counting on _that_ , either."

 **000**

Zweilous was in his room, coming up with a plan of his own. He had a pencil and a notebook, and now all he needed was something to be written on it.

The Hostile Pokemon groaned, "What am I supposed to do with these lunatics?" He asked himself, before humming in thought, "I guess I _could_ work with Kirlia for a while since the girls probably hate me and the other guys are dumb."

He wrote that down in his notebook. He then decided to think about the other team, as some of them were possible merge threats. Salazzle, Zangoose, and Umbreon seemed like threats, but one player specifically stood out from the rest of them.

"Mareanie," Zweilous growled. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with her."

What was up with her? Why was someone as small as her so strong and intimidating? Zweilous knew that he might never know the answer to that, so the best that he could do was some research.

So, he took his notebook and pen and left the room. He was making his way towards the Blaziken's side, and suddenly, Mareanie came out of the girl's side of the Blaziken's room, which immediately caused Zweilous to stop in his tracks.

Mareanie noticed his abrupt pause and rose a brow, "Why, hello, _Zweilous_ ," She greeted flatly.

Zweilous tried to keep his cool, despite being creeped out by the coincidence, "Hey, Mareanie."

Mareanie held her usual deadpan expression, before glancing at what the Dark/Dragon type was holding, "What's with the pen and notebook? You doing a science project?"

Zweilous quickly tossed the pen and notebook behind him, "What are you talking about?"

"Zweilous, you must think I'm dumb," Mareanie claimed. "I know you're suspicious about me and my skill; I heard you and Kirlia behind the bushes earlier."

Zweilous could've given in right then and there, as he did want to know Mareanie's secret, but she could always use his interrogation to her advantage, and it could get him eliminated for it, so he had to double down. "Suspicious? Why would I be suspicious of _you_?"

"Are you saying I'm not interesting?" The Brutal Star Pokemon queried.

"N-No!" Zweilous quickly blurted out, before clearing his throat, "Of course you're interesting, but I've never considered you to be a suspicious Pokemon in any way."

"Then why are you on my team's side of the floor with a notebook?"

"What notebook?" Zweilous asked, holding up his hands...although Mareanie could clearly see that his research set was right behind him. "And besides, I could've wanted to talk to someone else."

"Like who?" Mareanie questioned, "I doubt anyone on this team cares about you."

"Uh…" Zweilous trailed off, beginning to break a sweat, and suddenly, he zoomed off.

Mareanie rolled his eyes, "Pussy," She commented.

 **000**

" **Zweilous is obviously scared of me, and he's** **doing a lousy job hiding it," Mareanie stated, "It's gonna be fun toying around with him."**

 **000**

Torterra was hanging out with Charjabug and Shellder in their room.

"So I guess that means your chances with Tyranitar or over, huh," Charjabug concluded.

"I guess so," Torterra answered, still a little heartbroken by the situation. "I'm sure we're at least friends, though."

"Well that's nice," Shellder replied, "Maybe he won't be such a jerk anymore."

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Torterra asked, not wanting to talk about Tyranitar anymore.

"I guess we could see if there's a movie on," Charjabug suggested.

"That's _exactly_ what I was thinking!" Shellder chirped.

Torterra chuckled at the nerds, "Wow, you two make a really good duo."

"We do?" Shellder asked.

"Of course we do!" Charjabug crowed in response, "In fact, I've been thinking of a duo name for us. I call it 'The Double Dorks!' You like?"

"The Double Dorks…?" Shellder queried, seemingly dazed as he stared at Charjabug with wide eyes.

"Well, if you can think of a wittier name, I'm all ears."

Shellder was unresponsive, as he continued to stare at Charjabug, and he saw sparkles, hearts, and flowers around the Battery Pokemon.

"Um...Shellder, you okay, buddy?"

Shellder snapped out of his thoughts and said nothing for a few seconds before realizing that he had put himself in a trance once again. "U-Uh...I'll be back!"

Shellder immediately left the bedroom, leaving Torterra and Charjabug to exchange glances.

"I'll think of a better name," Charjabug assured.

 **000**

Shellder was in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

"What is happening to me?!" He fretted, "Am I gay?!"

The clam jumped off of the sink that he used to look at himself. "But I can't be, I blush whenever I see a girl...maybe I'm bi then."

"But wait...what if this isn't an attraction at all?" He wondered, "But if this isn't an attraction then what's been going on with me for all these years? UGH, I'M SO CONFUSED!"

 **000**

Torterra and Charjabug were waiting on Shellder to come back.

"I wonder what all that was about." Torterra wondered. "Did he pee himself?"

Charjabug sniffed to see if he could smell some pee, "Well, I don't smell any pee, so he probably didn't. I hope my name wasn't so bad that he wants to disassociate himself with me."

"I doubt that's the case," Torterra assured, "This may sound crazy, but maybe he likes you."

"You really think that's the case?"

"I think so," The two of them heard. They turned their head towards Shellder, who shrank back, "I mean, it's not that, or at least I don't think it is...I don't even know; I know a lot of things, but the first thing about attraction or love isn't one of them."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, while I know what I'm attracted to, I don't really know how actually being in a relationship works either," Charjabug replied sheepishly.

The smaller Pokemon turned towards Torterra for possible advice.

"Well, don't look at me, I've never been in a relationship," Torterra remarked, holding his quadruped hands up defensively, "I'm just a shameless flirt."

Shellder sighed, "Well, hopefully, I'll figure it out in due time."

"I'm sure you will," Charjabug encouraged, "I'll try to do that as well."

 **000**

" **Does Shellder actually...** _ **like**_ **like me? Like, as in a fully fledged relationship?" Charjabug asked, staring at the camera in bewilderment.**

" **I mean, not that I think it's a bad thing, as I'll admit I actually find him pretty cute, but I'd honestly expect him to be straight considering how much he talks about being afraid to talk to girls."**

 **000**

At this point, it was about 11:00, and everyone had gone to bed, knowing that there would probably be a challenge tomorrow and that the alarm would go off early.

 **000**

" _BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP_."

The alarms went off at 7:30 AM, but this time, only the Blaziken's heard the alarm.

 **000**

Frillish moaned as she woke up from the alarm, "Why must that alarm be so loud so early?"

"So that someone like _you_ won't sleep in again," Mareanie replied, not eyeing the Floating Pokemon.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't make jabs at me this early," Frillish drawled, giving Mareanie a look.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't complain about everything _all the time_." Mareanie retorted, before exiting the bedroom.

 **000**

 **Frillish huffed, folding her flippers, "How am I supposed to apologize and say that I'm sorry if these people are so bitter?!"**

 **000**

The girls of the Blazikens, who actually woke on time today, met in their living room, although most of them were still sleepy.

"Okay, so we need to think of a possible game plan for the next challenge," Salazzle opined, "Any ideas?"

The other girls just stared at the Toxic Lizard Pokemon.

"We don't know what type of challenge the next one will be, though," Mareanie reminded, "How are we supposed to plan?"

"We should still at least _try_ to plan something," Salazzle stressed. "It's better to have a plan and not need to use it than to need a plan and not have one."

"What possible plan is there other than to just...do better than last time?" Zangoose queried.

Salazzle sighed in annoyance, "Any suggestions on _how_ we're going to do that?"

"I say we let everyone have a say in decisions," Frillish suggested, "No one person should just take charge; there would be chaos."

Salazzle gave her a look, "Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

"What do you think I'm trying to say? That I think others besides you should have to spotlight?" Frillish asked.

"I mean, I'm basically giving you guys a chance to do that now," Salazzle reminded, "And yeah, that's _exactly_ what I think you're saying."

"I think you're just saying this because _you_ specifically want that spotlight," Liepard surmised, glaring at the jellyfish.

Frillish gasped dramatically, holding her chest with her right flipper, "I would never do something like that!" She then paused, seeing the looks she got, "Okay, so maybe that's a fraction of it…"

"Okay, if you want to take charge so bad, then why don't you try to lead us in the next challenge?" Mareanie suggested.

"WHAT?!" The other three girls shouted.

"There is no way in hell-"

"Sure, I guess I could try it," Frillish interrupted Salazzle's protest.

"And if we lose today, you're absolutely leaving tonight? Deal?" Mareanie inquired.

"Of course, I'll do fine," Frillish assured. "Probably. We'll see when it happens."

Salazzle grumbled to herself, folding her arms. The Poison/Fire type was practically the unspoken leader of the team, and she hated that she'd have to give up that position to a Shakespearean dictionary. But, her failing was inevitable, and she'd get her position back immediately and Frillish would hit the high road, so she didn't protest.

 **000**

" **This is stupid," Salazzle snorted, glaring at the camera, "If yesterday is any indication, the Frillish will have no idea what the hell she's going to do, but she'll have a lot to say anyway. Today is gonna be hell, but when she gets eliminated, it'll be over."**

 **000**

Charjabug woke up with a yawn when the alarm went off and looked at Shellder's bed next to him, and he saw that the water type wasn't awake yet.

"Looks like he's not awake yet," Charjabug said groggily, "I guess I'll have to wake him up myself."

The Bug/Electric type turned off the alarm, hopped off his bed, and then hopped on Shellder's bed.

"Hey, buddy, wake up," Charjabug said quietly, not wanting to startle him, "The alarm went off."

Shellder moaned as he began to wake up, before turning around, and seeing Charjabug on his bed touching him made his eyes widen, as he began to blush, "U-Uh…"

Charjabug soon realized what he was doing, and immediately removed his hands from Shellder's body, a blush of his own forming. "S-Sorry, heh heh," He apologized, chuckling sheepishly, "I was uh...just trying to wake you up, we might have a challenge today."

"Oh, thank you-I mean...that's nice-I mean, that's cool! Yeah, that's cool!" Shellder awkwardly vacillated.

The two of them sat in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Charjabug cleared his throat. "So, uh...I'm gonna...go away," He announced, before immediately hopping off of his bed, and exiting the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Shellder just stared at the camera. "What...just happened?"

 **000**

 **Charjabug took a deep breath, "Well that was embarrassing for the both of us. Maybe I should've just whispered in his ear.**

" **Wait...that might've been even more embarrassing!"**

 **000**

When the alarm went off in Torterra and Tyranitar's room, Torterra came up from his covers and slammed the off button, "That alarm is so stupid," He groaned.

The Tortoise was about to nudge Tyranitar to wake him up, as he was still snoring, but then he remembered...last night. So he reluctantly put his lifted hand down with a sigh, "Get some more rest," He said quietly.

"ARCEUS DAMN THAT STUPID ALARM!" Torterra heard.

"I guess I should go calm Umbreon down, huh," He said to himself.

 **000**

" **I wonder if I should even talk to Tyranitar at this point," Torterra lamented, "I don't want him or his girlfriend thinking that I'm 'suspect' or something."**

" **But then again, he's still on our team, and I'd probably feel bad about it if I just stopped talking to him."**

 **000**

It was now 9:00 AM and a few of the Sceptiles were beginning to wake up, surprised at the alarm not forcing them awake.

 **000**

Meganium eyes blinked rapidly as she slowly woke up from her slumber. The Dinosaur moaned as she turned to the side where her alarm clock was, and to her shock, it was 9:00 AM.

"Holy shit, did I oversleep?" She asked herself, abruptly sitting up, "Hey, Leafeon, wake up, we have a problem."

Meganium's loud voice woke the Verdant Pokemon up with a grunt. "What's going on?" She asked groggily, facing her fellow grass type, "A leader needs her good night's sleep."

"Well, look at the one you got," Meganium responded, nudging her head towards the alarm clock, "It's _9 AM_!"

"Wait, what?!" Leafeon barked in disbelief, "That's impossible; a good leader gets good sleep, but she never oversleeps!"

"I'm not the type to oversleep either, so I don't know what happened here," Meganium marveled. "Let's go wake the other girls up."

When Meganium opened the door, she was surprised to see Luxio and Delphox also walk out of their room.

"So, did you girls notice that there wasn't an alarm this morning?" Delphox asked.

"Exactly," Leafeon answered, "Who forgot to set them?"

"I doubt anyone _forgot_ to set them, Leafeon," Luxio asserted, "We're not about to accuse anyone of doing anything to sabotage us."

"It could've just been a mistake from Deoxys," Delphox suggested.

"I'm definitely inclined to believe that," Meganium stated, "I _highly_ doubt that the boys are awake, so I'll go wake them up. One of you girls wake up Illumise,"

Once Meganium ran out of the room, the girls immediately looked at Delphox, who sighed in annoyance.

The Bipedal Fox walked into Illumise's room, and simply flicked the light switch, which was enough to wake the Firefly Pokemon.

Illumise's eyes shot open due to the sound of the light switch and the bright light, and she immediately sat up in shock, "What the hell, Delphox?!"

"Look at your alarm clock," Delphox responded nonchalantly. Illumise did so, and her eyes widened as she groaned, "I overslept. Neat."

"We all overslept," Luxio corrected, "We think Deoxys made a mistake and forgot to set our alarms."

"Or maybe we could've just set our own alarms," Illumise suggested.

Leafeon deadpanned, "If that's the case, then why didn't you do that?"

Illumise opened her mouth to respond, before immediately closing it, realizing that Leafeon had an irrefutable point.

 **000**

Gastly was up early cooking breakfast once again. The ghost type was humming to the original Pokemon Anime theme. He suddenly heard someone trying to open the locked door, which made him stop humming.

"Uh...what was that?" He asked himself. He then heard loud knocking, which caused him to yelp and hide behind the kitchen drawer. Whoever was knocking could've knocked the damn door down! The ghost type gulped in nervousness, as he got out of his hiding spot and cautiously floated to the door. He took a peek at the peephole and saw Meganium. Gastly wasn't sure if he should let her in, as he was scared of the Herb Pokemon, but-

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

...Allow me to rephrase that; Gastly was _terrified_ of Meganium, and he knew not to piss her off, so he rapidly unlocked the door and let Meganium in.

"So...uh...hi?"

Meganium gave Gastly a look, causing him to sweatdrop, "I'm assuming you guys slept in as well."

"Well...the alarm didn't go off, but I just woke up on my own," Gastly explained, "Why? What's going on?"

"What's going on?! It's past 9:00! We were supposed to wake up at 7:30!" Meganium blustered, "Why didn't you wake the others up?"

Gastly shrank back from her yelling, "Well...I was going to wake them up once I finished cooking," He answered, smiling sheepishly.

Meganium sighed, "Whatever, I'll wake them up myself. Also...everything's burning."

Gastly sniffed the air with his invisible nose, and he immediately turned around after smelling the burn, "NOT AGAIN!"

Meganium was about to wake up the other guys, but Zweilous opened his door before she could.

"What the hell is going on this-" Zweilous barked, before seeing Meganium, "Somehow I'm not surprised."

"Now's not the time for quips, Exploud," Meganium quipped herself, "We slept in and we need to wake the others up,"

Just then, the rest of the guys came out of their rooms.

"No need, your voice is already _alarming_!" Jangmo-o joked, laughing out loud.

"Cut it out! This is serious!" Meganium ordered. "There might be a challenge soon, hell, Deoxys could've called us down before we woke up."

"I don't know about that. Deoxys may be neurotic, but I doubt he'd just forget about us," Mudkip assured, "Him forgetting to turn on the alarms does seem likely, though,"

"Maybe it's just an award for us winning the last challenge," Kirlia suggested.

"And let us sleep in this late?" Meganium questioned, "Doesn't seem likely."

"I mean, I could ask the other team."

"And who from the other team would want to talk to you?" Zweilous inquired.

"Well...uh.."

" _ATTENTION AIRPORT TROPOLIS CONTESTANTS, MEET US AT GATE 60 BY 10:00._ "

"Look, he didn't forget about us!" Gliscor cheered.

"I'm sure it was all just a clever prank," Jangmo-o reassured. "They were probably both in on it, too."

"...Do you guys know Deoxys at all?"

 **000**

 **Meganium banged her head on the confessional wall in annoyance. "Arceus, I feel like I'm working with a bunch of bratty teenagers...and they** _ **are**_ **bratty teenagers."**

 **000**

 **Kirlia sighed in relief, "That was a close one; I almost snitched on myself."**

 **000**

After Deoxys made the announcement, he went back to the hall of legends to tell Mewtwo to get ready. He hadn't seen him or his girlfriends since they talked at the lobby last night, despite the fact that they went to the Hall of Origins.

When the alien made it to the Genetic Pokemon's room, he knocked on the door, and for about 5 seconds, nothing happened.

"Uh...Mewtwo? Are you there? We're gonna do a challenge in an hour and you have to be ready," Deoxys informed.

After a few seconds of no answer, Mewtwo eventually opened the door, wearing a nervous look on his face, instead of his usual bold look, which Deoxys immediately took note of.

"Uh, are you okay?" Deoxys asked in concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Mewtwo answered, despite his tone saying otherwise, "It's just that...I don't think she was impressed."

"What do you mean by…" Deoxys was about to ask before his eyes widened and he gasped dramatically. "Did you two...actually do it?!"

"Yeah, we did," Mewtwo tonelessly answered.

"Please tell me Arceus doesn't know about this!" Deoxys whimpered.

"She doesn't know, and she doesn't need to," Mewtwo declared. "So quiet down; you don't want to give her any hints."

Deoxys took a deep breath, "Okay, okay, you're right," He said, before going right back into freak out mode. "Why would you guys do this?!" He whisper-shouted.

"Alani got drunk before the fight broke out at the club and we were both hungry for our things, okay!" Mewtwo defended. "Let's just forget about this and do the challenge."

"Okay, let's go before anyone gets any hints," Deoxys agreed, teleporting themselves away.

 **000**

With the announcement being made 10 minutes ago, Mudkip's alliance began to make their way towards the gate.

"Okay, so I was thinking we should name ourselves the _Skep_ ticals," Jangmo-o joked with a smile expecting them to understand his pun.

"Oh, I get it!" Gliscor bubbled. "Because our team name has 'Skep' in it!"

"See, Gliscor gets it!" Jangmo-o praised, before glancing at Gastly and Mudkip. "You guys feel me,"

"I'll be honest, I actually like that name," Gastly admitted, as they opened the doors that connected to the airport. "There is a lot to be skeptical about right now."

Jangmo-o stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard that, "Oh...I didn't think of it that way, but sure."

"So, I guess it's official, we're the Skepticals," Mudkip declared.

As the guys were walking, Frillish appeared from the elevator.

 **000**

" **Hanging out with Gastly yesterday was quite nice," Frillish remarked. "We didn't talk that much but he made me feel...wanted for once in my life."**

" **I know he's with his team, but I really want to talk to him again. There's a strange charm to him that makes me want more."**

 **000**

"I wonder what the challenge is going to be," Gliscor wondered in excitement.

"I hope it isn't as tedious or nerve-wracking as yesterday's challenges were," Gastly fretted.

"Same," Mudkip agreed. "But I think...well, I _hope_ Deoxys is self-aware enough to not do a challenge like that again."

Mudkip was glad that the alliance was discussing challenges...mainly because Gliscor wasn't worrying about what Delphox said. Maybe he forgot? Regardless, he was still going to ask her to soften her terms later.

A few moments later, Frillish eventually caught up with the guys, and they didn't even notice her until she said, "Hello, Gastly."

The four of them turned around, and to their shock, they saw Frillish.

"Uh...hi, Frillish," Gastly greeted back, albeit hesitantly.

"Did the Blaziken's kick you out of the team or something?" Jangmo-o queried.

"What? No, silly," Frillish answered. "I'm just...here."

The Skepticals exchanged glances.

"Do you want to go to the gate with us?" Gliscor offered with a smile.

"No thank you, I just wanted to go with Gastly," Frillish replied.

The guys looked at Gastly, who shrank back and cleared his throat, "Well...we were all planning on traveling together," He responded sheepishly.

Frillish blinked, before saying, "Oh, very well, then. I'll continue on my own."

The Floating Pokemon floated away slowly, and when she was far away enough, the guys talked to each other again.

"Gastly, did you see the way she was trying to flirt with you?" Mudkip queried as if her flirting was scandalous.

"That was supposed to be flirting?" Gastly asked.

"That's exactly what it was," Jangmo-o assured with a grin, "Someone has a crush on you."

"Really?" Gastly inquired, still unconvinced. "I assumed that she was only hanging out with me because she didn't like her team...or the other way around."

"Wow, you guys hung out together?" Gliscor asked. "That's so cute!"

Gastly chuckled sheepishly, "I, uh...I guess you could say that, but I don't know if I'm looking for a relationship. L-Let's keep floating-I mean, w-walking, since...I'm the only one that floats."

 **000**

" **Not gonna lie, the thought of falling in love, or having someone fall in love with me is kinda overwhelming," Gastly admitted. "So I'm not sure what to think or do if Frillish having a crush on me is true."**

 **000**

Before going to the gate, Kirlia decided to see if Zangoose was at the weight room. When he made it to the weight room, it looked like Zangoose was about to leave, but luckily, he was able to catch her before she could.

"Hey, Zangoose!" Kirlia called out before she could leave.

The Cat Ferret Pokemon heard the call from the weight room doors, and to her surprise, she saw Kirlia, so she walked up to him.

"Uh, hey, what are you doing here?" Zangoose asked. "We have a challenge in a half hour and I was just about to leave."

"I could see that," Kirlia responded. "But...since we _do_ have time, I wanted to see if you could show me some of the techniques you use to lift."

Zangoose looked hesitant to do so. "How come you couldn't come earlier? I've been here for an hour."

"Our whole team just woke up a half hour ago; our alarms didn't even go off," Kirlia explained.

Zangoose rose a brow at this revelation. "Wait, really?" She inquired. "It might've just been a reward for you guys winning yesterday."

"That's exactly what I was saying," Kirlia agreed. "But my teammates don't believe me."

Zangoose hummed to herself in thought, "I guess I could show you something simple real quick. Follow me."

Kirlia followed the Normal-type to a shoulder press machine. The machine was mostly gray, while the seats were blue, with no weight on the bars.

"This is a shoulder press machine," Zangoose began to explain. "The concept is simple; you sit on it, and lift from your shoulders about 10 times."

"Sounds easy enough," Kirlia remarked. "How much weight should I put on here?"

"Just start without any weight," Zangoose responded. "It's better to do that so you know the technique."

"Oh, uh, okay," Kirlia reluctantly replied, unsure why he couldn't use weight.

The Psychic Type sat on the chair and started lifting. As he continued to do so, he felt surprised at the burn he felt on his arms and felt that it was probably because his arms were skinny.

Eventually, he did all 10 reps. "Is it bad that that felt harder than I expected?"

"Not really, since your arms are skinnier than straws," Zangoose muttered, looking at his arms in slight disgust. "But that's what happens when you first do weightlifting, and it's the _correct_ way to do it, unlike your attempted show off a couple of nights ago."

Kirlia chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah, uh...let's not discuss that."

"That would probably be a good note to leave on," Zangoose said. "We should probably start making our way to the airport."

"Good idea," Kirlia agreed, following her.

"Not with me, though," Zangoose corrected. "We aren't on the same team, remember? We can't travel together."

"Oh, right.." Kirlia murmured disappointedly. For some reason, he kept forgetting that the two of them were on opposite teams. "Well then, I'll see you when I get there."

Zangoose stopped in her tracks, before reluctantly saying, "Uh...thanks, I guess." Without looking back.

 **000**

 **Zangoose sighed, "I...really don't like talking to people that much, so naturally, a lot of people don't talk to me. So hearing a 'see you later' was a little satisfying, but unexpected, so that's why it took me a while to respond."**

 **000**

It was now 9:45 AM, and at this point, everyone had either made it to the gate or were well on their way. Well...almost everyone.

 **000**

Tyranitar was still fast asleep. The events of last night had exhausted him, and he just...overslept.

Torterra was also still at the room, and he had been waiting for the rock beast to wake up on his own for a couple of hours now, but he wouldn't. He hated to say it, but he had to take matters into his own hands and...talk to him again.

The Continent Pokemon knocked on the door of their room, which got Tyranitar to moan a little bit.

"Hey, uh, Tyranitar…" Torterra started.

Tyranitar moaned once more, before asking, "What is it, Torterra?"

"It's almost 10:00," Torterra answered. "We have a challenge in 15 minutes."

Hearing this, Tyranitar immediately scrambled out of his bed and ran out of his room, going straight into the bathroom.

"Uh...you alright, Tyranitar?" Torterra asked in concern.

"NO! I'M NOT FINE, I'M SCREWED! GO ON WITHOUT ME!" Tyranitar shouted from a closed door.

"Uh, alright!" Torterra responded, a little surprised by his outburst.

 **000**

" **I need to redeem myself today, and I'm not doing a good job so far," Tyranitar groaned.**

 **000**

At this point, almost everyone had made it to gate 60. Everyone except for Tyranitar, of course.

Deoxys and Mewtwo then appeared, and they immediately noticed that not everyone was at the gate.

"Looks like Tyranitar's late again," Deoxys noted.

Salazzle groaned, "Of course he is."

"Well, while we're waiting, I have a question for you all," Deoxys said, "Sceptiles, how did you guys sleep last night?"

"We slept just fine until a force woke us up," Zweilous drawled, referring to Meganium.

"I'm 'the force' he's talking about, by the way," Meganium clarified.

"...Okay, then," Deoxys responded, not wanting to know any details. "But, you really didn't have to do that, because the reason you guys didn't hear your alarms this morning because you guys won that last challenge, so you guys got to sleep in."

"Really?" Kirlia asked, "I knew this was a reward!"

"So whenever we win a challenge, we get to sleep in without an alarm?" Liepard queried.

"Exactly."

"Okay, team, we _need_ to win this challenge," Liepard stressed.

Just then, everyone heard loud footsteps, and everyone knew it was Tyranitar.

"I'm here!" The Rock/Dark type announced after he finally got done rushing to the gate.

"Mind explaining why you're this late?" Mareanie questioned.

"Don't worry about it," He responded assuringly. "That's in the past, this is the here and now!"

Liepard sighed, "I suppose you have a point…"

"I agree with him too," Deoxys concurred. "Anyways, for today's challenge-"

"Hold on," Illumise interrupted. "How come you couldn't tell us about the alarm thing sooner?"

"Yeah, it would've saved us a lot of...stress," Gastly added, thinking about burning the breakfast again.

Deoxys sighed, "I wanted to surprise you guys, okay? Anyways, as I was saying, we're going to Paniola Town for today's challenge."

"Not a city today?" Shellder inquired, "Interesting."

"I have a feeling you're going to regret saying that," Umbreon commented.

"Well, I like being positive, so I don't think you'll regret it," Deoxys assured. "I'll explain the challenge to you guys when we get there, so let's go!"

 **000**

The hosts and contestants boarded onto the plane and took off. The flight was set to take two hours.

Deoxys and Mewtwo were at the cockpit of the plane, with Mewtwo being the pilot.

"So, Mewtwo," Deoxys started. "Was Alani able to escape?"

"I don't even think she's awake yet," Mewtwo muttered.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Deoxys blurted. "You just left her asleep where she could easily get caught!?"

Mewtwo sighed, "I didn't want to worry or alarm her by waking her up...plus, I don't she was in the mood to see me after failing to hit it last night."

 **000**

Alani was breathing softly, while still asleep on Mewtwo's messy bed, which matched with his messy room.

Mewtwo's room had practically zero organization to it. His video game controllers were on the floor, used condoms were sprawled out on his bed and the floor, and his desk, which was right next to his bed, had a bunch of papers that he never had plans to do anything with. Beyond that, his room smelled like a Skuntank, and none of the other legendaries touched his room with a 10-foot pole.

Alani began to wake up with a moan, "Boo, what time is it?" She asked lethargically, but she got no answer.

When the Liepard opened her eyes fully, she saw that Mewtwo wasn't even there, much to her annoyance.

"What the hell?" She asked, before groaning in realization. "He must've gone to host that stupid show again! Why did he just leave me here when I have no way to escape?"

Alani looked around the room for any possible escape options. The door wasn't an option, because it was 10:00 AM and the legendaries were most likely up and busy by now, so the only other option was the window, but the problem with that was that Mewtwo's room was 11 stories high.

Alani groaned, "Mewtwo is so dead…"

 **000**

2 hours later, the Airport Tropolis plane landed on Paniola town. The town was farm-like, and there were a few buildings that looked like they were from countryside towns.

"Okay, everyone, follow me to the ranch," Deoxys directed.

The contestants wondered what the challenge could possibly be, but considering they were at a ranch town, they assumed that it couldn't be interesting.

"Are we gonna have to milk Miltank or something?" Leafeon inquired.

"No, but Miltank will be involved in the challenge," Deoxys answered.

"That still doesn't sound good," Kirlia commented. "You should know how we feel about Miltank."

"I...don't though," Deoxys revealed.

"Don't worry about it, then," Delphox replied. "You're a legendary; you wouldn't get it."

"Oh...okay then," Deoxys said nonchalantly, as they arrived at the ranch. "Anyways, this is the Paniola ranch," He announced, pointing towards the large field that was filled with Miltank, Tauros, and a few Mudsdale. The field also had four ropes.

"Yeah, we know what the ranch looks like, Deoxys," Salazzle responded impatiently.

"I never knew what the ranch looked like," Gliscor corrected, admiring the ranch.

Salazzle facepalmed, "Well...most of us know how the ranch looks."

Deoxys continued, ignoring Salazzle's quips, "For today's challenge, you guys will try to round up the Tauros and Miltank at this ranch in pairs. The Sceptiles will be rounding up the Tauros, and The Blazikens will be rounding up the Miltank, and each team will have 2 minutes to do so."

"How are us midgets supposed to do this challenge?" Mudkip queried.

"Smaller contestants can ride on a Mudsdale to do this challenge," Deoxys answered. "Oh yeah, and one more thing; Sceptiles, for winning yesterday's challenge, you guys will be choosing your pairings, _and_ the order you guys go in, and since you have an odd number of teammates, one of you will be exempt from the challenge. As for the Blazikens, Mewtwo has already set up the pairings and the order you guys go in."

"Oh, that's just _wonderful_ ," Liepard seethed.

"It isn't that impressive," Mewtwo spoke up, sounding indifferent, much to everyone, including Deoxys' shock. Mewtwo wasn't being a boastful jagoff for once.

"It..isn't?" Charjabug asked.

"No, it's not," Meganium reiterated. "Can we get into our pairs now?"

"Uh...sure, go ahead," Deoxys said, "You guys have 2 minutes for now, but I could add time if you haven't decided by then."

 **000**

When the Sceptiles split up, there was silence for a few seconds.

"So, uh...who wants to start?" Gastly asked, the silence making him uncomfortable.

"I mean...you could've started," Luxio muttered.

"I say we partner ourselves up based on our skill level," Leafeon suggested.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jangmo-o asked.

"Well, for example, you and Gliscor shouldn't be paired up together because you guys would distract each other," Meganium stated.

"Hey! We didn't know the line would take up the entire challenge!" Jangmo-o defensively retorted.

"That's why there are signs that show how long the line takes," Illumise replied.

"Well, who do we pair up with?" Gliscor asked.

Meganium sighed, "I'll partner up with you," She offered, albeit regretfully. "Leafeon, you deal with Jangmo-o."

"Sure.." Leafeon said listlessly. She was good friends with Meganium, but her giving the team orders didn't feel right; that was what _she_ wanted to do. Meganium was supposed to be co-leader.

"Aw, cheer up, Leaf, don't shed a taur," Jangmo-o joked. "You feel me?"

"...Shut up," Leafeon muttered in response.

"So, what about the rest of us?" Kirlia inquired.

"What do you mean 'what about the rest of us'?" Zweilous challenged. "What, do you expect hot head 1 and hot head 2 to make decisions for you?"

"Well, if you supposedly know what you're doing, then what do you think we should do?" Meganium queried.

"I never said I knew what I was doing, I meant that it's bullshit that everyone just lets you two make all of the decisions," Zweilous clarified.

"You're still basically implying that you know what you're doing," Kirlia said.

Zweilous rolled his invisible eyes, "Fine, I'll bite," He drawled, looking at the remaining contestants.

"Illumise should go with Delphox, I'll go with Mudkip, Gastly can go with Luxio, and Kirlia can sit out," Zweilous suggested.

"Care to explain?" Luxio queried, not liking that he paired her with Gastly.

"I don't have specific explanations, I was just trying to make the pairings balanced," Zweilous explained. "Any objections, or are you guys waiting on hot heads 1 and 2's say for that as well?"

"I-" Gastly was about to protest before he got cut off.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have no complaints," Leafeon responded.

"Well-"

"I second this," Kirlia affirmed. "This challenge sounds dumb, anyway,"

Gastly sighed to himself, " _This won't be good,_ " He thought.

"So, about the ordering-"

"Actually, I'm gonna share _my_ two cents on how I think we should do the ordering," Illumise spoke up.

"Wha-" Leafeon was about to protest before Meganium nudged her a bit, whispering, " _Let them lead the way; if they fail, the responsibility falls on them. That'll get them to learn._ "

Leafeon growled to herself in response.

"I was thinking that Meganium and Gliscor go first, followed by myself and Delphox, Zweilous and Mudkip, Gastly and Luxio, and you can figure out who's last from there," Illumise said. "I don't have any specific reasons since Deoxys didn't give us enough context for the challenge, but I suspect that this is a balanced ordering."

"You don't know that, though," Leafeon muttered.

Illumise gave her a look, "Hence why I said that I _suspect_ that this is a balanced ordering."

"And with that, I think we're done here," Delphox said. They then proceeded to make their way back to the front of the ranch.

"From the looks of it, The Sceptiles are ready," Deoxys assumed. "So, the pair that will be going first on your team, step forward."

Meganium stepped forward, but she had to use her vine to push Gliscor forward.

"Not the pairing I expected, but it's interesting," Mewtwo remarked. "Anyways, you two will be going up against Umbreon and Mareanie."

"Oh, I'm up paired with Hulk the Pokemon," Mareanie quipped. "Super."

"Hey, at least I'm not a devil!" Umbreon shot back.

"Save the quips for later, because it's time for the challenge to start!" Deoxys chirped. "Grab the ropes, and wait for me to say go."

"Wait, can I use my vine for this?" Meganium asked.

"Sure, but you can't use both your vines and the rope at the same time," Deoxys answered. "Are your vines stronger than the rope, though?"

"Hell yeah, they are," Meganium said confidently.

"If you say so," Deoxys responded. "You guys can start in 5...4...3...2...1...go!"

The four of them, excluding Meganium, picked up their ropes.

Mareanie ran straight for one of the Mudsdale and hopped on its back.

"Head for one of those Miltank," Mareanie ordered.

The female Mudsdale had an uninterested look on her face, as she rolled her eyes.

"Now!" Mareanie shouted authoritatively, glowering at the now frightened Mudsdale, who took off.

Umbreon, who took notice of this, couldn't help but shake his head a bit, "She's crazy," He said to himself.

Meganium ran up to a Tauros, who was lying on a patch of grass and grabbed him with her vines, causing the Tauros to immediately wake up, and scream as she swung him towards the fence.

"Arceus, woman! That's not how a roundup works!" The Tauros blustered in pain.

"Oh yeah, I probably should have told you guys this, but when you catch your targets, you're supposed to round them up inside of their fences. They have their signs on them," Deoxys called out.

Meganium looked at the fences that were in front of her. The right side's sign said 'Tauros', and the left side's sign said, 'MILTANK'.

Seeing that Meganium was getting ready to grab him with her vines, the Tauros immediately jumped on and shouted, "No way! I am not doing that shit again! I'll walk myself to the fence."

When the Tauros walked to the gate, Meganium sighed and turning around to see Gliscor, who seemed to be exploring the ranch rather than actually doing the challenge.

"Hey, Gliscor! Focus!" She yelled.

"Huh?" Gliscor asked as if he had no idea what was going on. "Oh yeah, the challenge!"

The Scorpion Bat threw the rope he had at a Tauros that was just standing around. "I got him!"

"Wha- no! You're supposed to throw it over his entire body like he's going into it!"

"But what if it hurts him?"

"It doesn't matter, it's for the challenge! Now hurry up!" The Herb Pokemon ordered while dragging another Tauros who was shouting in pain with her vines.

Seeing how pained that Tauros looked made Gliscor not trust her word, but he didn't want to upset her, so he reluctantly walked up to the Tauros, and put the lasso over his body.

"There, now can you come to the fence with me?" Gliscor asked with a smile.

"...Make me," The Tauros grunted.

"Please?"

The Tauros rolled his eyes, not budging.

"Pretty please?"

Meanwhile, Umbreon had caught a Miltank, but he was struggling to pull her to the fence.

Mareanie rode up to him on her Mudsdale, with two annoyed Miltank in her lasso. "You need to catch up," She commented, tilting her head towards the fence. Umbreon looked towards the fence, and much to his shock, there were already two other Miltank inside of the fence.

"...Seriously?" Umbreon asked in disbelief.

"Seriously," Mareanie answered, riding away.

"Your Giratina-like friend is right, you know," The Miltank he was trying to drag said teasingly. "Too bad you probably don't have the strength to do it."

"Listen, you do _not_ know what I'm capable of when I'm pissed," Umbreon snapped. "So you better do everything in your power to keep me calm."

"Well, why aren't you showing me, honey?" The Miltank continued to tease. "You know, no woman is gonna want a weakling."

"Alright, you asked for it," Umbreon growled. The Dark-type Eeveelution started running, which didn't do as much as he had hoped, but it did help him struggle less.

"There you go, Angry Bird," The Miltank goaded. "Make your team proud, for once."

"Will you shut up!?" Umbreon demanded, continuing to run.

Meganium pulled to Tauros by their legs, and into the gate, but her team only had three, opposed to the Blazikens four, with a fifth on the way.

She looked over to where Gliscor was and seeing that he still wasn't able to get the Tauros to move made her groan in aggravation.

"Pretty please with a cherry sprinkle on top?" Gliscor pleaded.

"What the hell does that even mean?" The Tauros inquired, giving the Fang Scorpion Pokemon a vexed expression.

"I don't know, but I really really really really want you to help us win," Gliscor whined. "I'll do the Lillipup eyes if I have to!"

"...What?"

"Oh, just do it!" Meganium ordered impatiently. "I haven't seen his puppy dog eyes, but knowing him, it can't be good."

The Tauros sighed, "Fine, only because you guys are losing badly and I pity you guys."

Gliscor then pulled the Tauros the fences...well, it was more of a case of the Tauros walking with him, but they were walking very slowly.

"1 MINUTE LEFT!" Deoxys announced.

Meganium groaned, "Will you two hurry up?!"

"Ugh, chill out, lady," The Tauros responded uncaringly. "We'll run for you."

The Tauros took off with Gliscor, while Meganium grabbed two more Tauros.

Umbreon had finally made it to the fence, and let go of the Miltank he was carrying. He then plopped himself onto the ground, panting heavily.

"Good job, baby boy...it only took you a whole ass minute to take me to the fence," The Miltank quipped.

"Shut...the hell...up," Umbreon growled between breaths.

Mareanie and her Mudsdale came back with two more Miltank in tow and tossed them into the fence, much to their dismay.

"Hey, moron, we still have less than another minute left," Mareanie replied, "So get to it; you can rest when we're done."

Mareanie took off, while Umbreon reluctantly got up, "I hate this challenge…" He moaned as he took off to find another Miltank.

The Miltank and Tauros began to run around the ranch, which made it harder for the contestants to get them. When Gliscor made it to the fence with his Tauros in tow, he looked at all of the scattering Tauros in confusion.

"Uh...which one do I get next?" Gliscor inquired.

Meganium also made it to the fence with her two Tauros on tow. "It doesn't matter! Just find one!" She responded, taking off to find more.

Gliscor glanced at the running Tauros once more, unsure of what to do because of his morality holding him back, but he did as he was told, anyway.

The Flying/Ground type tried to throw the lasso over a Tauros, but the Tauros he was aiming for dodged it, and he caught a Miltank instead.

"I caught a Miltank?" He asked himself. "How did I do that?"

He saw Mareanie riding around on her Mudsdale looking for Miltank to capture, and decided to be honest and give the Miltank to her, so he took his lasso off of the Miltank.

"Hey, Mareanie?" He called, getting the Brutal Star Pokemon's attention. "I think this is-"

Mareanie grabbed her with the rope before he could even finish his sentence. "Thanks, dumbass," She quipped, "Now go!" She ordered the Mudsdale to do, her tone immediately causing her to take off.

"Wha...What the hell was that?!" Meganium questioned abrasively, giving Gliscor a bewildered look.

"...Oops?"

Meanwhile, Umbreon once again struggled to carry another Miltank, but this one wasn't annoying, so it wasn't as bad. He saw Mareanie zoom right past her once again, which bewildered him. "How the hell is she so fast?" He grunted, sounding exhausted.

Mareanie put the Miltank that Gliscor gave her into the fence, before seeing that Umbreon was struggling once again, "Come on, Umbreon, push!"

"Can't you see that I'm trying?!" Umbreon shouted in annoyance.

"Try harder," Meganium chimed in, dragging another Tauros.

Umbreon growled, beginning to run before time ran out.

Seeing this, Meganium growled, "I am not letting them win," She vowed, beginning to run herself.

Gliscor eventually found another Tauros, although catching him was a struggle.

"Come on, kid, try harder than that!" The Tauros teased, but Gliscor eventually caught him.

"Yay!" Gliscor cheered. "Now, can you come with me?"

"Hmm...Nah."

"Aw," Gliscor pouted, plopping onto the grass in defeat.

Meanwhile, the race between Meganium and Umbreon was still going, and they were running out of time. Meganium was currently ahead of Umbreon, but he was close.

"10 SECONDS REMAINING!" Deoxys announced.

Mareanie came to assist Umbreon with two more Miltank in tow...meanwhile, Meganium had no assistance.

Meganium groaned, "GLISCOR, GET THAT STUPID TAUROS OVER HERE!"

"Okay!" Gliscor complied, before attempting to pull the Tauros...but he couldn't even get Tauros off the ground since he didn't want to pull too hard.

Meganium sighed, "Looks like I'm just gonna have to pick up the pace," She muttered to herself, running the final stretch to the fence.

Mareanie's Mudsdale did the same, leaving Umbreon behind.

Umbreon groaned, "I give up," He groused, dropping his lasso.

"AND, TIME'S UP!" Deoxys announced once more.

Currently, The Sceptiles had 7 Tauros, and the Blazikens had 8 Miltank.

"Looks like the Blazikens are in the lead so far. Good job, you guys," Deoxys complimented.

"It was nothing," Mareanie bragged, as the four of them walked out of the ranch gate.

"Nothing? That was worse than the last two challenges!" Umbreon argued.

The participants went to their respective team's sides, and once Gliscor and Meganium got to their team, the salt started flowing.

"Gliscor, why the _hell_ would you give Mareanie that stupid Miltank?!" Meganium questioned, glaring at him.

Gliscor shrank back due to her abrasiveness, "B-Because it was theirs, and I wanted to be fair," he responded. "Also, I thought we were supposed to catch Tauros."

"Well, you don't just give it to them!" Zweilous retorted. "We aren't supposed to play fair, we're supposed to win!"

"Look who suddenly cares about the competition…" Illumise remarked.

"Well, I'm sorry if I want to sleep in tomorrow morning," Zweilous shot back, giving the Bug-type a look.

"Well, the important thing is that we're only behind by 1 point," Delphox reminded the team, "So we shouldn't admit defeat and point fingers just yet."

"Yeah, because that's some _wild bull_ , am I right?" Jangmo-o joked, before feeling a vine touch his throat, as Meganium pulled the dino to her face.

"Listen, _Jangmo-o_ , you're one of, if not _the_ worst member of our team, so stop with the shitty puns and _focus_ when it's your turn or your ass is the grass on this ranch? Got it?" Meganium growled, before dropping Jangmo-o.

Jangmo-o took a few deep breaths, before uttering, "N-Noted."

 **000**

" **Arceus, it's like I'm Bart Simpson!" Jangmo-o huffed. "Why can't I make light out of a bad situation that isn't even that bad?! My jokes are good, people!"**

 **000**

" **Are we really not supposed to be fair when competing?" Gliscor asked. "But I was told that cheaters never win…"**

 **000**

"Alright, Sceptiles, your next pair may step forward," Deoxys said.

Illumise and Delphox stepped up to the front of the ranch.

"This pairing is a lot less surprising," Mewtwo remarked, sounding a little disappointed.

"Ya don't say.." Illumise muttered as the Firefly Pokemon herself wasn't surprised, or pleased that Zweilous paired her with Delphox.

"Next up for the Blazikens is Salazzle and Tyranitar," Mewtwo announced.

"Yes!" Tyranitar cheered, wanting to redeem himself.

"...No," Salazzle deadpanned, giving Tyranitar a look, before redirecting her look to Mewtwo. "Why am I paired with him?"

"Hey, I literally just put your team in a randomizer and it gave me the pairs, so don't blame me," Mewtwo defended.

Tyranitar and Salazzle walked up to where Illumise and Delphox were standing.

"Don't screw this up," Salazzle whispered to Tyranitar.

"You got it, I won't screw up," Tyranitar promised, before muttering to himself. "I hope not…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Alright guys, pick up your lasso's and...go!" Deoxys coached.

The four of them took off, although Tyranitar was slower than the rest of them.

Illumise ran towards the same Mudsdale that Mareanie used and climbed up to her.

"Alright, Mudsdale, help me win this challenge!" Illumise ordered.

Instead of complying as she did with Mareanie, the Mudsdale kicked Illumise off of her, causing her to go flying due to how small she was.

She landed right next to a Tauros, who upon seeing her, tried to escape.

"Oh no, you don't!" Illumise growled, trying to chase after it. Eventually, she caught the Tauros by her leg, which made him trip.

"Ha!" Illumise laughed in vindication.

The Tauros gave her a look, before taking off again, which made Illumise go flying once again.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" She yelled as she was being tossed around.

Delphox was having much better luck. She had already caught her first Tauros and was on her way to the fence. Once she got to the fence, she saw that Illumise was getting dragged by a Tauros as if it was supposed to round _her_ up.

"I guess I better help her out," She said to herself, running towards her.

Meanwhile, Salazzle had gotten her first Miltank and had just made it to the fence. She saw the Tyranitar also caught a Miltank and was making his way to the fence, but he already had an exhausted look on his face, and he was breathing heavily while sweating bullets.

"You're tired already?" Salazzle queried once the Rock Beast made it to the fence.

Tyranitar took a couple more breaths, before saying, "Yeah, I don't really-" He cut himself off, not wanting to reveal that he didn't work out.

"Uh...what?"

"Nothing!" He quickly responded, before running off to find another Miltank.

 **000**

" **Tyranitar isn't being a dick anymore, but he's still acting weird," Salazzle stated. "He better not make us lose our lead."**

 **000**

 **Tyranitar was twiddling his fingers, before saying, "I know I said I wasn't gonna act like a 'tough guy', but I still need to make myself seem useful, and try not to show that I'm...for lack of a better word...a pussy."**

 **000**

"Illumise, I'm coming to help you!" Delphox called, chasing the Tauros.

"Well, it would be nice if you'd hurry up!" Illumise yelled. "This guy goes ridiculously fast!"

"Hold on, I'll try to catch it!" Delphox responded, throwing her lasso over to him...but she ended up catching Illumise instead, however, she did cause the Tauros to trip once again, which gave her enough time to catch it.

"There we go!" Delphox cheered.

Illumise got up, before giving Delphox a look, "And it only cost a lasso to my body," She drawled.

However, the Tauros wasn't finished just yet. He tried to run away once again, but since Delphox was taller and heavier, he had a more difficult time.

"You're not getting away from me!" Delphox declared, trying to hold him back, and for the most part, it was working.

Meanwhile, Tyranitar was struggling to catch some of the Miltank. They all ran away from him which made it more difficult for him, and he was beginning to get annoyed.

"Why are these girls so hard to catch?!" He whined.

Salazzle came up to the Armor Pokemon with two Miltank in tow, "Do you need help?" She asked condescendingly.

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine," Tyranitar insisted, knowing he was lying to himself. As soon as he said that, a Miltank appeared in front of him, and he was able to catch it.

"Yes! Finally!" Tyranitar cheered.

"David! Help!" The Miltank shouted.

"Huh?"

The Tauros that Delphox was trying to stop turned around at this call, "April!?"

David immediately ran faster, which caused Delphox to lose control of him and let go of the lasso.

"Damnit!" Delphox groused.

"Oh, you are _so_ gonna get it!" David growled as he charged towards Tyranitar, who only looked at him in fear.

"Uh...N-Nice Tauros-AAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he was kicked surprisingly far by the Tauros.

"Oh, wow, that looked pretty painful," Deoxys remarked, wincing.

The Pseudo-legendary tried to get back up, but much to his shock and discomfort, David ran up to him...and sat on him.

"Run, April, run!" David urged. "I'll hold him down!"

"Okay, that's actually hilarious!" Leafeon remarked from the sidelines.

As Tyranitar struggled to get out of his ass, he noticed something about it, and then he began to notice a feeling on his face that he didn't want anyone to see.

 **000**

 **Tyranitar hid his flushed face with both of his hands, "No, no, no, no, no…" He repeated rapidly.**

 **000**

"ONE MINUTE REMAINING!"

Illumise came to the scene riding a different Mudsdale, "Alright, _David_ , either you get your ass out of his face, or it's straight to the fence for you," She threatened.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" David queried. "You're probably gonna try to catch me anyway if I escape."

"Okay, well thanks for the easy opening, then," Illumise remarked.

"Go ahead. As long as April is safe, I don't care," he responded.

"Hate to break it to you, but that isn't happening," Salazzle, who had already captured April stated.

"Wha-"

Illumise caught David before he could say anything else, "You could've just ran away. Now you're coming with me."

"You guys are awful," The Tauros sneered.

"Nothing personal; we're just behind and we need to win," Illumise said, before taking him to the fence.

Feeling embarrassed, Tyranitar slowly got up. His blush was gone, but he still didn't want to interact with anyone.

"Uh, are you alright?" Salazzle asked.

Tyranitar quickly turned away from her, "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for asking,"

 **000**

" **This isn't good...this isn't good at all…" Tyranitar moaned.**

 **000**

"Come on, Illumise, we have some catching up to do," Delphox said.

"Yeah, I can clearly see that," Illumise retorted, after taking her Tauros to the fence.

"Well, it doesn't look like you guys are catching up anytime soon!" Salazzle gibed after catching another Miltank.

"No one asked you!" Illumise shot back.

"You didn't ask a question!"

Tyranitar caught another Miltank and heard Illumise Salazzle throwing shots at each other. Seeing this, he rolled his eyes, "Geez, those two can throw quips at each other all day while I can't even pretend to be a douchebag...but then again, they _are_ on opposite teams," He said. He then tried to pull the Miltank to the fence, only to struggle some more.

Meanwhile, Illumise and Salazzle continued to throw quips at each other.

Salazzle caught two more Miltank, before yelling out, "I bet you're garbage team can't do this!"

"Last time I checked, we beat you guys yesterday!" Illumise retorted.

"We beat you guys first, though!" Salazzle reminded. "And you guys aren't catching up, like I said!"

Salazzle ran away with the Miltank in tow, leaving Illumise to grumble to herself, "She should put her money where her mouth is," She muttered. The Bug type then began to...sit around and wait.

"Illumise, what are you doing?" Delphox queried.

"Concentrating," She answered.

"We're running out of time, though," Delphox reminded. "So hurry-"

"Hold on," Illumise interrupted. The Firefly Pokemon noticed that a majority of the Tauros were running in packs, specifically packs of three. She looked at the tails of three Tauros that were trying to run away and threw her lasso at them, and to her luck, she managed to catch all three of them by their tails.

"Yes! It worked!" She cheered.

When Tyranitar made it to the fence with his Miltank, he turned around, and seeing what Illumise had managed to do made his jaw drop.

"How the hell did she do that…?" Tyranitar queried in disbelief.

"It doesn't even matter; she probably won't even make it to the fence in time since she's light, and three combined Tauros are heavy," Salazzle stated.

"10 SECONDS REMAINING!"

The Mudsdale began to run, but it didn't run that fast, as it knew that if it did, Illumise would fall off. The Bug type was struggling to pull the Tauros, but she was getting close.

Delphox had made it to the fence with one more Tauros, before watching Illumise in awe.

"Is she actually gonna make it?" She wondered.

Salazzle rolled her eyes and folded her arms, "If you count down the seconds remaining, you'd know that she's not making it."

"Well, how many-"

"And time's up!" Deoxys announced.

Illumise groaned.

 **000**

" **Damnit! I was so close!" Illumise shouted, before sighing, "At least I figured out a new strategy."**

 **000**

The score was currently 16 to 10, with the Blazikens still in the lead.

Meganium groaned in disappointment, "Great, now we're even _further_ behind,"

"We may be far behind, but I found a useful strategy," Illumise assured. "Most of the Tauros have been running away in packs, so when you throw out your lasso, try to aim for multiple tails."

"But we saw that doing so takes a long time when we're already far behind as is," Zweilous retorted. "Besides, the rest of us probably aren't even strong enough to carry that many at a time."

"Then make a Mudsdale do it or something," Illumise said flatly, as if it was an obvious solution. "You can't just have a defeatist attitude, especially considering you're up next."

Meanwhile, the Blazikens had a small meeting of their own.

"Damn, Tyranitar, what happened with you and that Tauros?" Liepard inquired.

Knowing exactly who she was talking about and unsure about how to respond, Tyranitar hesitated to answer, but he let out a, "Nothing really happened. Deoxys, can I, uh...go to the bathroom,"

"Sure. There are a few restaurants that have restrooms, so feel free to use any of them," Deoxys answered.

Without another word, Tyranitar jogged towards the food area of the town, and his lack of interaction to his teammates concerned Torterra, but he kept quiet about it.

 **000**

" **Did that Tauros seriously embarrass him that much?" Torterra asked the camera. "Poor guy; he probably feels like his manhood was taken away...although that's not how it works, but still."**

 **000**

"Alright. Next group for the Sceptiles, step forward."

Zweilous and Mudkip stepped up to the front of the ranch, with the former holding a disgruntled expression.

"The next pairing for the Blazikens is Liepard and Frillish." Mewtwo read. "This should be interesting."

Liepard wanted to let out a groan, but instead, she whispered, "This is your chance to prove that you're capable of being a leader, so don't blow it," to Frillish.

"Oh, don't you worry, I'll do just fine," Frillish assured. "But you must follow my everyone command without question...isn't that how leadership works?"

"...What the hell is wrong with you?"

Once the girls stepped up to the front, the countdown began.

"On your marks, get set, go!"

The four of them immediately took off.

"Alright, Frillish, since I have to follow your _every command_ ," Liepard began in a mocking tone, "What should I do?"

"Find as much Miltank as possible my friend," Frillish answered. "I'll do so as well."

"Well, no shit," The feline responded brashly. "But how do we go about doing it?"

Frillish looked confused, "Whatever do you mean by that?"

Liepard groaned in annoyance; she felt like she was trying to talk to a brick wall, "Forget it. You clearly have no idea what you're doing so I'm taking charge here. This whole idea was stupid."

"Stupid? You people barely let me even attempt it!" Frillish protested.

"We don't have time for attempts, Frillish!" Liepard shot back, her obliviousness beginning to piss her off. "We only have so much time to do this task and you're just telling me shit I already know and it's wasting time!"

While the girls were arguing, Zweilous chuckled to himself, as he had already caught his first Tauros and took him back to the fence. "They do realize they're just wasting their time, right?" He asked himself, and then he looked towards Mudkip.

"Speaking of wasting time…" Zweilous groaned. He ran towards the Mudfish Pokemon, who was looking for the pattern that Illumise was talking about.

"Dude, are you seriously listening to Illumise?" The Hostile Pokemon queried, giving him a look. "You'll take forever and you're not even strong enough to hold that many!"

Mudkip only shushed him in response, as he was trying to concentrate, which made Zweilous groan in annoyance and run off to find more Tauros. After the reveal that the winning team gets to sleep in every morning, Zweilous _really_ wanted to win so he could get some quality sleep, especially considering that Meganium ruined it this morning.

Once Zweilous ran off, Mudkip saw 4 Tauros running together and looked at their tails. Wanting to catch all 4 of them, Mudkip swung the lasso as much as he could.

Liepard had caught her first Miltank, but Frillish was struggling, much to her annoyance.

Liepard walked up to the jellyfish with an annoyed look. "See, this is why you can't lead the team; you can't even handle yourself!"

"I'm doing fine because I'm trying my best!" Frillish argued.

"Trying your best isn't enough if you want to lead-wait, what the hell is Mudkip doing?"

The Water type was still swinging his lasso, before finally releasing it at the 4 Tauros. The lasso went over three of their heads, and he caught those three. The fourth one was able to escape, however.

"I did it!" Mudkip cheered.

"How the hell did he do that…?" Liepard asked in disbelief.

Zweilous came back to where Mudkip was with another Tauros in tow. "Good job. Now how on earth are you supposed to get them all back when they're probably three times your weight when combined?"

Mudkip was in thought momentarily, before a lightbulb appeared over his head. He tied the bottom of the lasso around the Mudsdale's tail that he was riding on, and he hopped off of it.

"Go to the fence," Mudkip ordered. The Mudsdale nodded and walked to the fence, since the Tauros' were heavy.

Zweilous groaned. "Nice. Now you don't have a lasso."

"Yeah I do," Mudkip responded, grinning at Zweilous. This grin immediately made the Dark/Dragon type uneasy.

"I...I really hope you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking."

Frillish finally made it to the fence with her Miltank and had plopped herself onto the ground. "There, I made it…"

Liepard was behind her with another Miltank in tow, and seeing Frillish just sitting around made her roll her eyes.

"Congratulations, you caught _1_ Miltank," She quipped, glaring at the jellyfish. "Mind getting off your ass to find more?"

"Oh, be patient," Frillish advised in a relaxed manner. "We're winning, aren't we?"

"We might be winning now, but if the guys keep doing what they're doing, they'll close the gap and have a chance to catch up!" Liepard countered, pointing to Mudkip riding on Zweilous' back.

Frillish groaned in exasperation before reluctantly getting back up. "Fine. I'll appease your wishes if that's what you all want from me. I've tried to apologize to you and now you just chastise me."

"What the hell do you mean you've tried to apologize?!" Liepard hissed. "All you've done since Bruxish left was brag about how you exposed her and then you suddenly implied that you wanted to take charge! So don't whine to me about how unfairly you've apparently been treated when you've been a pain in the ass to nearly everyone here and haven't actually shown that you want to change! At least Tyranitar's actually making an effort!"

The Floating Pokemon was taken aback by this, and she stammered trying to come up with a comeback, and nothing came out. Even Zweilous and Mudkip stopped in their tracks due to Liepard snapping on her.

"Oh the drama," Mewtwo gibed.

"Uh...I hate interrupt the tension, but you guys have one minute remaining," Deoxys spoke softly, not wanting to piss Liepard off even more.

Liepard took a deep breath to calm herself down, before running off to find more Miltank, without saying another word to a frozen Frillish.

 **000**

" **I...actually have to say I'm sorry vocally? Or is it I apologize? Oh, I'm not even sure!" Frillish whined.**

" **I thought volunteering to be leader for a day would be enough to earn their forgiveness, but I guess since I didn't say I forgive you, they won't give apologies. Or is it the other way around?"**

" **So yeah, as you all can clearly see, I don't know how to offer condolences. No wait-"**

 **000**

Mudkip and Zweilous had made it to the fence with two more Tauros, one on each lasso.

"I can't believe I agreed to let you ride on my damn back," Zweilous grunted. "But I'll admit that this is working better than I thought it would."

"Good, because I was honestly worried this wouldn't work," Mudkip admitted. "Now let's go find more, Zweilous!"

"But if you treat me like a horse, I'm going to maim you," He threatened.

"...Noted."

Liepard caught another Miltank, and was about to make her way to the gate, but seeing a still shocked Frillish leaning onto the fence made her groan.

 **000**

 **Liepard sighed, "So, apparently, I broke her fragile heart too much."**

" **Okay, so maybe my delivery was a little** _ **too**_ **harsh, but it needed to be said...twice, apparently, considering Salazzle told her off last night…"**

" **...I'm definitely going to regret what I'm about to do."**

 **000**

Once the cat made it to the fence, she began to discuss something with Frillish.

"Look, I went too far, okay? You're not the worst on our team and you're most certainly a valuable asset," Liepard said, knowing damn well she was lying. "With that said, _please_ help me out here. These Miltank are hard to carry and I don't want to lose our lead."

Frillish sighed. "It's quite alright. I already know based on your rant just now and from the last 24 hours that I'm most likely next, or at least after Tyranitar-"

"Well you're not!" Liepard hastily interrupted. "But if you don't help me now, you will be!"

The Water/Ghost type sighed once more. "Very well, I'll help the best I can."

Frillish floated up to successfully catch another Miltank, which pleasantly surprised Liepard.

 **000**

" **This is the most humble she's acted since we met," Liepard stated, "Did I get through to her?"**

 **000**

The guys caught one more Tauros each, and turned around to see Frillish actually contributing now, which came as a surprise to them.

"Is Frillish...actually doing something?" Zweilous inquired in disbelief.

"Liepard's outburst might have scared her into doing something," Mudkip mused.

"Well let's hurry up! I really need that lead!" Zweilous demanded.

"Um, you do realize-"

"Don't remind me," Zweilous grumbled, running towards the fence in dismay.

Seeing the boys come to the fence with more Tauros, Liepard immediately caught another Miltank and rushed to the fence with it. Frillish also caught another one, but she wasn't moving as fast.

"C'mon, Liepard, you were right, we can't let them catch up!" Frillish reminded.

"Yeah, that's the most correct thing you've said all season," Liepard stated, giving her a look. She then saw Mudkip and Zweilous heading to the gate with two more Tauros.

"Screw that; I'm not letting _them_ catch up," Liepard growled. The Feline ran over to another Mudsdale, and got on it's back.

"What are you about to do?" Frillish asked.

"If Mudkip and Illumise of all Pokemon can catch three damn Tauros, then I should be able to catch more Miltank," Liepard responded, not eyeing Frillish. "In fact, I see two of them sitting together now."

Liepard tried to catch the two Miltank that she was talking about, but when she threw out her lasso, she only caught one, and she sighed in response, "This'll have to do."

"15 seconds remaining!"

"Crap," Liepard muttered. "Frillish, get that other Miltank!"

Frillish floated up to catch the Miltank without another word.

"Hurry, we gotta catch up to them!" Mudkip urged Zweilous.

"You think I don't know that?!" Zweilous shot back.

Zweilous ran a little faster. Seeing this, Liepard ran even faster in response. Frillish didn't change her slow pace, however, but Liepard didn't seem to notice or care. All she cared about was getting to that fence.

Eventually, she and the guys made it to the fence at the same time, with Frillish trailing behind slowly.

"Frillish hurry, you can still make it!" Liepard urged.

Frillish grunted as she tried to pull the Miltan. "I really hope s-"

"And time's up!" Deoxys announced.

"Nevermind, then," Liepard groaned.

 **000**

" **Welp, I definitely screwed up by making that promise to Frillish," Liepard said, looking disappointed.**

" **We** _ **really**_ **need to win this now. Sure, we also have Tyranitar as a possibility for elimination, but he's a lot stronger than Frillish...or at least I think he is."**

 **000**

The score was now 24 to 20, with the Blazikens still in the lead. Once the four of them got out of the ranch, Frillish immediately asked. "May I please eat lunch?"

"Um..sure," Deoxys responded. "Infact, I think this would be a good time for a 20 minute lunch break considering how climactic that last battle was. There are a couple of fast food restaurants and the Pokemon Center Cafe, so you can eat and hang out at one of tho-and they're gone."

 **000**

 **2 hours earlier**

 **000**

Alani was trying to climb down the walls of the Hall of origins. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but that was a little hard to do because rocks were also falling down and making noise due to the rocky walls and hearing the rocks hit the ground put her on edge. Thankfully for her, though, she only had 8 feet left to go.

The Liepard took a deep breath. "Okay, Alani, only about 8 feet left to go...wait a minute, I'm a cat, I could've just jumped this whole time!" She realized.

She jumped from where she was, and like a normal cat, she landed on all fours, and she could see the gate from where she was.

"I need to get the hell out of here before any of those legendaries see me," She groused. Mewtwo's girlfriend quickly ran towards the gate, but as soon as she passed the gate, an alarm went off in the hall, which she could hear from outside.

"...What just happened?" She asked herself, before she was suddenly teleported away.

 **000**

Alani was teleported to the living room couch, back inside of the hall of origins. A few legendaries, specifically the swords of justice, Terrakion, Virizion, Cobalion and Keldeo were there as well.

"What the hell is going on?!" She questioned abrasively.

"A better question would be, what were _you_ doing here in the first place?" Keldeo, who had a magnifying glass in his hand like he was a professional mystery solver. "Beat that, _mortal_ ," he taunted, getting closer to her face.

Alani pushed him away by his face in response, causing him to dramatically fall to the floor with an, "Ouch."

"Mind answering my question?" She inquired demandingly.

"Keldeo's childishness aside," Virizion, whose voice identified as a female began, "The four of us are in charge of Hall security. We have to make sure no mortal Pokemon can get in, and if they snuck in, we can't let them out. Which is why an alarm sent off and your were teleported here," she explained.

"But...none of you are psychic types…" Alani stated. "So your logic makes no sense."

"It's called Hall of Origin magic, you dumb bitch," Virizion retorted, glaring at the Liepard.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Riz," Cobalion appealed. "We don't want to make mortals fear us. Now tell us, kid-"

"I'm 22!"

"Okay...well just tell us how you got in here in the first place," He instructed.

"...I'm not telling you," She stated. She was definitely going to give Mewtwo a piece of her mind, but she didn't want him to get in trouble unless it was from herself.

"Well you don't have to, because we have CAMERAS!" Keldeo bragged.

"Good point," Cobalion complimented. "Why don't you go look for me?"

"You got it, boss!" He obeyed with a salute, quickly running towards the camera room.

Virizion sighed in relief once he was gone, "He's so annoying…"

"He's just really stoked to be a part of our group now, hon," Cobalion reasoned. "He'll adjust soon, he just needs more time."

"He's been in our group for a month now," Terrakion, who had a raspy voice finally spoke up.

Cobalion sweatdropped, seemingly forgetting how long he's been in their group, "Well, he's still young, so it's natural that he isn't the best behaved of our group."

"So...what do I do now? Just wait?" Alani queried.

"HEY GUYS, I'VE FOUND SOME JUICY STUFF!"

"Hang on, we'll be right there!" Cobalion responded.

The three of them ran towards the camera room, leaving Alani alone, as she sighed in annoyance. "Oh boy...Mewtwo's really gonna get it now…"

 **000**

The contestants were now eating lunch and doing some socializing, with most of them eating outside.

Gastly saw Luxio eating a salad with a smoothie on her own, so, albeit reluctant, he decided to take Mudkip's advice and try to get her to reason with him. After all, they were partnered up for the challenge, and they were next after the break.

The Ghost/Poison type took a deep breath and floated up to her. "Uh...hey, L-Luxio.." he stammered.

Luxio looked up from her meal, before deadpanning, "Oh...you."

"Yep...me, heh heh," Gastly chuckled sheepishly. "So, uh...we're partnered up and we're up next after break, s-so I was just wondering if we could, y'know, put our differences aside and...w-work together so we can catch up to the Blazikens. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Well, catching up does sound nice, so I'll try my best, which I was going to do anyway," Luxio answered. "But this doesn't mean that I agree with ghost types and their voodoo ways."

Gastly blinked, "G-Great! Just great! So, uh...I'm gonna shut up and go over there until the challenge begins. Bye!"

Gastly zoomed off, leaving Luxio to roll her eyes.

 **000**

 **Gastly exhaled loudly, "That went a lot better than I expected; I was scared that she would just yell at me and belittle me...although she kinda did the latter. Not sure what she means by 'voodoo' when referring to ghost types considering voodoo doesn't even exist."**

 **His face went from a look of relief to a look of worry, "R-right?"**

 **000**

Meanwhile, Gastly's ally Mudkip had to do some talking of his own. He wanted to ask Delphox to soften the language of her conversation with Gliscor.

The Fox Pokemon has just taken her food from "Milk 'n' Grill", and was heading outside. Mudkip had managed to catch up to her right on time.

"Hey, Delphox!" Mudkip greeted, sounding a lot cheerier than he wanted to.

"Oh, same to you, Mudkip," She responded. "Great job out on the ranch by the way."

"Thanks. Glad that I contributed a lot," Mudkip replied, before clearing his throat, "So, uh...can we talk about last night?"

Delphox rose a brow, but she nodded in response without saying a word, before heading outside.

"Um...thanks?"

 **000**

" **Is it just me, or is Delphox an enigma?" Mudkip asked the camera.**

 **000**

Mudkip followed Delphox outside, and they sat down at a table right outside of the restaurant.

"So, what happened last night that you wanted to talk about?" Delphox inquired.

"Well...Gliscor told us about the conversation he had with you, and he didn't understand your strong language," Mudkip explained. "So I was hoping you could explain what you said to him in cleaner language."

"Did he tell you about any other part of our conversation?" She asked.

"Well, no, he just mentioned your choice of words," Mudkip responded.

" _Nice to see that my plan worked_ ," Delphox thought to herself, before saying, "Very well, I'll talk with him again after the challenge."

"Thanks, I appreciate it!" Mudkip thanked, before running off.

"And thank _you_ for exposing a possible alliance…"

 **000**

Shellder was sitting on his own, instead of chatting with Charjabug like he usually did. After Charjabug woke him up, they hadn't talked to each other at all due to how embarrassing it was.

He still had no idea what was going on with his own body. He thought he'd been attracted to girls his whole life, because he would blush whenever a girl even glanced at him, but now Charjabug made him feel the same way this morning.

The Bug/Electric type in question saw the Water/Ice type sitting by himself, which made him feel bad. He felt like now would be a good time to talk to him about this morning.

"H-Hey, Shellder!" He greeted cooly, cringing on the inside as he approached the Bivalve Pokemon.

Hearing Charjabug's voice, Shellder perked up, looking up straight at him, "Oh, hi Charjabug!" He chirped without thinking, "Uh...t-that came out wrong."

"Well, I don't blame you for being so happy to see me since we haven't talked since this morning," Charjabug replied sheepishly. "Speaking of...that, I kinda wanted to talk about it."

Shellder immediately blushed. "Uh...r-really? You wanna talk about that now?"

"Well, I'd rather talk about it now than feel really awkward about it later," Charjabug explained. "So...do you want to start or do you want me to start."

Shellder only looked around himself in nervousness and discomfort, indicating to Charjabug that he was going to have to start himself.

"Okay, so first off, I'd like to apologize again for... _disturbing_ you this morning," he began, feeling a little uncomfortable and awkward himself. "And I wanted to ask, did you feel...attracted in any way?"

"Um...I think so-I mean...ugh, yes, I was a _little tiny teensy weensy_ bit attracted," Shellder admitted in embarrassment, deciding that there was no use trying to lie to himself.

Charjabug blushed in response. "Well...I guess I could say I was too, since I was embarrassed as well due to the implications, but...I still don't really know how love works since the only other Pokemon that's even acknowledged my attractiveness is Bruxish, and she probably didn't _actually_ like me."

"Oh, really?" Shellder asked, sounding surprised. "I guess that's good for you."

"Yes...yes it is…" Charjabug said, still feeling awkward about the whole situation.

There were a few more seconds of silence, before Charjabug spoke up once more, "So...uh, I'll see you when the challenge starts, I guess…"

"Yeah, same," Shellder responded, as Charjabug left the vicinity.

 **000**

" **Well...that didn't go too badly," Charjabug mused. "Not sure what this means for our future, but I'm just glad I got this out of the way now before things could get awkward again tonight."**

 **000**

 **Shellder just stared at the camera for a few seconds, before asking himself, "Do I...have a boyfriend?"**

 **000**

After the 20 minutes ended, Deoxys called down the contestants back to the front of the ranch.

Mewtwo was also making his way back to their meeting area, but he paused in his tracks when he heard a voice in his head, sounding like Arceus.

" _Mewtwo, get your dumb ass back into the hall right now!_ "

"Oh, boy…" he murmured to himself, before teleporting away.

All of the contestants, with the exception of Tyranitar were now at the meeting area, and they immediately began to wonder where Mewtwo was.

"So...where's Mewtwo? Isn't he supposed to reveal the contestants for our team?" Zangoose queried.

Deoxys, knowing why Mewtwo could've disappeared didn't want to discuss the whole scandal, "I have the sheet of the pairings for the Blazikens, so don't worry about him," he answered. "Now, the next pair for the Sceptiles can step up."

Luxio and Gastly walked and floated to the front of the ranch respectively. The former had an uninterested look glued to her face, while the latter held his usual apprehensive look.

"As for the Blazikens, the pair going against them will be Charjabug and Shellder!"

The dorks exchanged glances, "Well, this is ironic," Charjabug sheepishly remarked.

The two of them walked up to the front of the fence with Luxio and Gastly.

Gastly figured he might as well try to ease the tension between himself and Luxio before they began. "Uh...good luck to us, I guess."

Luxio didn't answer, causing Gastly to sigh to himself, "O-kay, then…"

"Alright you four, pick up your lasso's and...go!"

Charjabug and Shellder immediately ran towards two Mudsdale, meanwhile Gastly just cautiously tried to find a Tauros, not wanting to make one of them angry, and Luxio was just strolling in pure uninterest.

"C'mon, Shellder, we got this!" Charjabug beamed optimistically, climbing on a Mudsdale.

Shellder sighed, much less confident about the challenge, as he was nervous about riding a Mudsdale, "I sure hope so."

"Okay, random Mudsdale, take me to the Miltank that's just...lying around not trying to escape for some reason," Charjabug instructed. The Mudsdale did as it was told.

"Uh," Shellder hesitated, "G-Go to the Miltank right next to it-WAAH!" he yelped as the Mudsdale took off to follow Charjabug's Mudsdale.

Luxio had caught her first Tauros, albeit reluctantly.

"This challenge sucks," She muttered to herself. "Why do I have do work for some damn meat eaters with a ghost type, at that. What sane Pokemon even eats other Pokemon, anyway?"

Despite her annoyance, she knew she had to do something. She didn't want to be looked down on by her team, even if she hated Leafeon, and she doubted Gastly would be much help.

Speaking of which, the Gas Pokemon snuck up to a Tauros that was eating grass.

" _Okay, Gastly,_ " he thought, " _Make sure it doesn't notice you until you catch it, because if it does, that would be really bad, and you could throw the challenge, and your team will hate you forever and you'll get eliminated and you'll be shamed and embarrassed forever and-wait, why am I even talking to myself like this? I'm literally right next to it._ "

He took a deep breath, before cautiously tying the lasso to the Tauros, who gave him a look in response.

"Good job, wimp. Now take me to the fence," The Tauros gibed.

Gastly blinked, before trying to pull the Tauros to the fence with his mouth, but the Tauros didn't budge, and his strength, or Gastly's weakness caused him to let go of his lasso.

Gastly groaned, "I should've known this wouldn't work...I'm literally a ball of gas." He then saw Charjabug and Shellder return their first two Miltank, while Luxio only had 1.

"I'm gonna need some help if we're ever gonna catch up to them," Gastly said, "But I can't use a Mudsdale because I can't sit on it." He then sighed, knowing exactly what he had to do, and fearing that he would regret it.

Once Luxio had returned her Tauros to the fence, she heard a "Hey, Luxio!" Prompting her to turn around.

"Uh...I'm gonna need some help with this," Gastly confessed, smiling sheepishly.

Luxio growled, but complied anyway, marching over to him as if she was going to kill him, which unnerved Gastly. She took the Tauros that he had without saying a word to him, leaving him to chuckle nervously in response.

 **000**

" **She looks like she's gonna snap at any minute now," Gastly stated with concern in his voice. "And if she does...it'll probably be really ugly." he fretted, the mere thought of Luxio snapping made him shudder.**

 **000**

After catching their first two Miltank, the dorks went off to find more. Shellder had to admit, the two of them spending more time together after their conversation felt better than it ever did. It made him wonder, could the two of them be a thing?

"Hey, Charjabug," The Water type spoke up, getting the Bug/Electric type's attention.

"What's up, Shellder?" Charjabug asked.

Shellder cleared his throat before saying, "Well...about our conversation we just had before the challenge, I was wondering just now...would want us to...y'know…"

"I know what you mean," Charjabug interrupted, before catching another Miltank and tying the bottom of the lasso to the Madsdale's tail. "I'd probably have to think about it, but thanks for asking."

"So...is that a yes or a no?" Shellder inquired.

"No idea, to be honest," he answered, before the Mudsdale went to return their next Miltank.

Shellder sighed, "At least he didn't say no," he said to himself, before taking the Mudsdale off to find more Miltank.

Meanwhile Luxio had caught another Tauros, and at this point, she was physically tired of doing this, and she had almost considered ditching the challenge entirely, and didn't help that _Gastly_ was too weak for the challenge. And sure enough, just as she was thinking about him-

"Hey, Luxio, uh...I need your help again," he called, after catching another Tauros.

"Again?!" She snapped, making Gastly flinch.

"Uh..y-"

"So you think because we were somehow partnered up in this Arceus damned challenge that I can just keep going against my faith?! I already didn't want to do this!" Luxio ranted.

"Wha-"

"No, you don't get to speak right now! You aren't doing anything good for our team anyway and the fact that it takes me to help someone from hell like you infuriates-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT STUPID RELIGION! I'M TRYING TO HELP BUT MY PHYSIQUES ARE LITERALLY PREVENTING ME FROM DOING SO WHICH MEANS I NEED YOUR HELP, DAMNIT!" Gastly snapped in anxiousness, his outburst causing everyone, including Charjabug and Shellder to stop in their tracks. The silence immediately made him feel discomfort and regret.

Luxio only glared at him for a few seconds, before storming out of the ranch in fury.

"What the-you better get your ass back in there!" Meganium ordered. "Stop her, Deoxys!"

Deoxys blinked, "I don't think my attempts to stop her will be any successful so, and there's less than a minute left so...no?"

Zweilous groaned loudly. "We totally lost…"

Gastly felt himself twitching, his pupils empty due to stress, "Great...Just _splendid_! Now what am I gonna do?!"

Suddenly, he remembered what Mudkip did earlier, so he decided to try to get a Mudsdale to help him.

"Uh, hey! Can you please help me with the Tauros?" he called out to a nearby Mudsdale.

This Mudsdale happened to be the same one that roughed Illumise up, and it only chuckled at Gastly's misfortune in response, and walked away.

Gastly blinked. "...Why?!"

Luckily for him, another Mudsdale came to help him out of pity. "I guess I could help you out. My name's Darla, by the way."

"Thank you... _so_ much," The ghost praised in relief.

"You guys are losing pretty hard right now, and your teammate ditched you, so this is out of pity," The female Mudsdale stated.

"I mean, we could really use some pity points," he said sheepishly, tying the rope to her tail.

At this point, with about 30 seconds remaining, the Blazikens had already gotten 6 combined, while the Sceptiles only had 4.

"I honestly feel bad for them. I really don't think they're gonna catch up at this point," Shellder said, after catching another Miltank.

"Agreed, but we still have to do something so our team doesn't think we're being lazy," Charjabug replied, tying another Miltank he caught to his Mudsdale's tail.

"I mean, we're doing _something_ ," Shellder reminded. "Why would we be seen as lazy?"

"Well, there are a lot of competitive Pokemon here, so who knows what they'll say," Charjabug reasoned, nudging on the Mudsdale as a signal to go to the fence.

"I see your point, I guess," Shellder acknowledged, not really agreeing with that method of teamwork.

Gastly had caught another Tauros and was rapidly tying it to Darla's tail.

"Take it to the fence and hurry; I'm sure my team's already mad at this point," Gastly instructed, still feeling anxious.

"Calm down, you guys have a chance to clutch it out," The Mudsdale assured. "But will do, anyway."

"Thanks, I really can't repay you enough," Gastly thanked once more.

"15 SECONDS REMAINING!"

Gastly groaned. "I really don't think I'll be able to catch anymore."

Once Shellder and Charjabug got to the fence, they wondered whether it was worth trying to catch other Miltank.

"With how little time we have left, we probably won't be able to catch any more Miltank," Shellder stated. "You think we should try anyway?"

Charjabug didn't answer, however. Instead, he was counting down to himself, " _10...9...8...7…_ "

"Are you...counting down?" Shellder inquired.

Gastly met up with Darla back at the fence. "Uh...what are they doing?"

"Time's up!" Deoxys and Charjabug shouted in unison. Deoxys gave Charjabug a look of surprise. "...You really counted down?"

"Eh...I couldn't resist," Charjabug admitted sheepishly.

At this point, the Sceptiles had 25 Tauros, while the Blazikens where still in the lead with 30.

Gastly sighed in relief now that he was done with his part, "Thank Arceus that's over, although I screwed up big time with Luxio. She probably hates me more than ever."

"Well, look on the bright side, at least now you can _actually_ try to avoid her as much as possible," Mudkip replied. "Especially considering she'll likely do the same."

"Sounds perfect."

On the Blazikens side, Tyranitar had just gotten back from his long break.

"So, can anyone fill me in on the score?" he asked.

"We're still in the lead by 5 points," Torterra said. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yep, I feel as good as ever!"

 **000**

" **No I don't…" Tyranitar groaned. "But I really don't want Torterra to worry about me."**

" **Man, I'm really not doing a good job redeeming myself considering how many lies I've told today…"**

 **000**

"Okay, the last 4 contestants doing this challenge may step forward," Deoxys instructed.

Leafeon and Jangmo-o reluctantly stepped forward for the Sceptiles, while Torterra and Zangoose stepped up for the Blazikens.

"Interesting, so, Sceptiles, you guys decided to sit Kirlia out?" Deoxys inquired, a little surprised at their decision.

"It wasn't my choice," Leafeon growled through grit teeth.

"Oh...not sure what you mean by that, but okay," Deoxys responded, sounding perplexed. "You 4 can start in 3...2...1...now!"

The 4 of them took off.

"Okay, Jangmo-o. I need you to do absolutely everything I say," Leafeon ordered. "So stop what you're doing."

"What else needs to be said?" Jangmo-o queried, giving her a look. "The smaller Pokemon need a Mudsdale to do this challenge."

Leafeon growled. She hated not being in control, "Fine. But don't screw this up, or you already know what'll happen."

The grass type Eeeveelution went off to find her own Tauros, while Jangmo-o snickered to himself, "What a stick in the Mudsdale."

Meanwhile, Torterra tried to get Zangoose to cooperate.

"Okay, Zangoose, we need some type of plan to ensure they don't catch up-Zangoose?" Torterra looked back and forth for the Mongoose, and saw that she had already gone far away from where he was.

"N-Nevermind, then…"

Zangoose had gone much deeper into the ranch than any other contestant had gone, seemingly wanting to avoid the others. The only problems were that there weren't as many Miltank or Tauros over there, and it would take a lot longer to bring them back.

 **000**

" **I don't want any of those loudmouths back there distracting me, so naturally, I just ran away from them," Zangoose stated, an uncaring look glued to her face.**

 **000**

Leafeon had caught her first Tauros, but it wasn't interested in doing what she wanted it to do.

"Okay, Tauros, you're gonna walk with me back to the fence and you're gonna love it," Leafeon ordered with a glare. "Now let's move!"

"No," The Tauros simply responded. "You seem like a controlling bitch, so I have no reason to listen to you."

"Wha-yes you do! I'm Leafeon, the leader of the Sceptiles!" Leafeon shot back, before muttering, "Or at least I should be…"

The Tauros ignored her this time, causing her to twitch and growl, "Fine! I'll make you!"

The Verdant Pokemon began to struggle to pull him, making very little progress. The Tauros let out a fake yawn in response.

Jangmo-o wasn't having much better luck. All of the Mudsdale he tried to ride had rejected him because of his awful puns.

Jangmo-o groaned. "Do none of these grouches appreciate comedy?" He asked himself.

"I didn't think your jokes were that bad," he heard, before turning around to see Darla.

"Wait, you don't?" Jangmo-o asked, perking up in hope.

"Uh, I guess not-"

Jangmo-o hopped onto her without another word, "Alright then, let's catch those Tauros!"

"...What did I just get myself into?"

Torterra had caught his first Miltank and returned it to the fence. He then saw Zangoose who, much to his surprise, had two Miltank in tow.

"Where did you just come from?" Torterra inquired in bewilderment.

"I went farther out to avoid distractions," Zangoose answered with a grunt, "Turns out the Miltank over there didn't know what to do since no one's gone back there all day."

"Wow, really?" Torterra asked. "Nice!"

Zangoose was pretty strong in general, so she didn't have that much issue carrying two Miltank despite them being over 300 pounds combined. Kirlia in particular was inspired by her strength.

 **000**

" **Okay, I have** _ **got**_ **to become as strong as her," Kirlia declared.**

 **000**

While Zangoose was still making his way back, the two other Miltank she was carrying exchanged glances.

"Hey, sis, you think we should spice things up a little bit?" One of them asked.

"Hell yeah, girl," The second one answered.

Suddenly, Zangoose felt herself stopping in her tracks, "What the hell?"

She turned around, and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the two of them using Rollout, "Sweet mother of Arceus," She groaned in annoyance, as they were pulling her away.

Seeing those two Miltank using Rollout, some of the other Miltank decided to join in as well.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Torterra whined, as it became increasingly harder to catch all of the Miltank.

Leafeon was still struggling to get one Tauros to the fence, and seemingly didn't notice the chaos that was going on, as she was too focused on trying to just get this one Tauros to the fence.

"I am going...to get you to the fence…no matter what...it...takes!" She grunted.

"Okay, miss," the Tauros said nonchalantly, "Just be careful with that Miltank over there."

"What are you-"

Suddenly a random Miltank rammed into her with Rollout, causing her to go flying, "CURSE THIS CHALLENGE!" She yelled, before landing on a tree.

Seeing this, Deoxys flinched, "Ouch, that sounded like it hurt. You guys have one minute to go before the final results, so make this count...if you guys can."

Jangmo-o looked at all of the Miltank running around, seemingly thinking of a joke. When he thought of one, a smirk crept upon his face, "Man, these Miltank-"

"Are on a roll, today?" Darla finished the joke for the dino, glancing up at him.

"That's exactly what I was gonna say!" Jangmo-o beamed with a laugh, "Man, I love being a comedian!"

Leafeon climbed down from the tree she landed on, and seeing that Jangmo-o wasn't really doing anything made her groan. "Hey!" She called, getting his attention.

"Might I ask what the hell you're doing to help us catch up?" She questioned, walking up to the Scaly Pokemon with a scowl.

"Relax, the Blazikens only have one Miltank, and we still have a minute left to catch up," Jangmo-o reminded.

"But it's just _one_ minute, dingus!" Leafeon quipped, "And we're still behind, and we currently have _nothing_!"

Jangmo-o huffed at her negativity, "Well, excuse me if I actually like to look at the bright side of things," he responded defensively.

"There is no bright side of losing, Jangmo-o," Leafeon retorted, giving him a stern look, before running off to find more Tauros.

Jangmo-o rolled his eyes, mocking her words.

 **000**

" **It's all negativity with some of these people," Jangmo-o ranted. "So what, we might lose** _ **one**_ **challenge, it's not the end of the world!"**

 **000**

Zangoose was trying to slow the Miltank down by grabbing the grass with her claws, but it didn't seem to be working too well.

"How the hell am I supposed to do this stupid challenge at this rate?" She asked herself in annoyance. Suddenly she had an idea.

She got up from the ground, and did a quick 180 degree turn, and fell back down due to how strong the Miltank were, but they were now heading towards the fence without knowing it.

Once the two of them were in the fence, they hit another Miltank and stopped in their tracks, "Hey, watch it!"

One of the Miltank groaned. "What the hell just happened?"

They then saw Zangoose immediately take her lasso off of them and run off to find more.

"That bitch!"

 **000**

 **Zangoose chuckled, "Idiots."**

 **000**

"Final 30 seconds!"

Torterra struggled to maneuver through the rolling Miltank, which made it difficult for him to catch them.

"I wonder if it's even worth it since we probably already won," He said to himself. He then saw Leafeon pulling another Tauros to the fence, and Jangmo-o was trying as well, although he was having much less success.

The Tortoise sighed, "I guess I should at least try."

He threw his lasso and managed to catch one, but he fell down due to how fast it was moving.

"C'mon, Terra, you got this!" Tyranitar cheered from the sidelines.

Hearing Tyranitar call him a nickname caused him to immediately jump back up in determination, and pull back the Miltank with all of his strength, "I got this," He repeated.

Meanwhile. Jangmo-o was getting tossed around by the heavy Tauros. He managed to catch one, but it ran away from him and caused him to fall off of Darla, and he was now getting dragged around by it.

"Man, you guys are some bullies!" The dragon type yelled. "Bullies, HA! I just caught that joke."

"Do you ever get tired of being annoying?" The Tauros queried, turning back to give Jangmo-o a look.

"What do you mean? I just like being funny," Jangmo-o responded.

"That doesn't mean everyone thinks you're funny," The Tauros retorted.

"Well...I think I'm funny, so that counts for something, right?"

"You can think you're funny all you want, but others can criticize your humor if they want," The Wild Bull Pokemon answered.

"JANGMO-O, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Leafeon yelled. "GET HIM!"

"Oh, I forgot, I'm supposed to be running away from you," The Tauros said smugly, before taking off once again, as Jangmo-o swung around with him.

"10 SECONDS LEFT!"

"Oh, this is just hopeless!" Leafeon whined, tossing her lasso in defeat.

Zangoose also had pretty much given up, knowing that they likely won anyway, but Torterra was still trying.

"Uh, hey, Terra," Zangoose called, mockingly using the nickname Tyranitar gave him. "You don't have to try anymore, we won anyway!"

The Continent Pokemon wasn't listening, though. "I'm so close, though, I can feel it!"

In reality, he really wasn't that close to the fence, even if he thought he was. He just really wanted to impress Tyranitar after he called him a nickname.

"And time's up! The results are in!"

 **000**

" **I can't believe I just called Torterra a nickname in front of** _ **everyone**_ **," Tyranitar croaked in embarrassment.**

 **000**

" **I can't believe Ty just called me a nickname in front of everyone!" Torterra chirped, before his expression turned to one of acceptance, "But then again, that is what friends do."**

 **000**

The four of them walked out of the gate as Deoxys added up all of the Tauros and Miltank that were caught. The contestants, including Luxio who had just joined back up with her team, awaited the results.

"So, from the looks of the last challenge, you guys probably already know who won, but clarity sake, The Blazikens won with 33 Miltank to the Sceptiles' 26 Tauros," Deoxys announced.

The Blazikens cheered, while the Sceptiles just held disappointed looks.

"Sceptiles, I'll see you guys at your first elimination of the season," Deoxys said. "Think hard about who you guys want out, because no offense, but not only do you guys have quite a few contenders, but some of them could still be on your team by the end of the night."

The Sceptiles exchanged mixed glances.

"Alright everyone, lets head back."

 **000**

2 hours later, the plane landed back to the airport, and everyone went upstairs to their rooms.

 **000**

Once the girls of the Sceptiles got back to their rooms, Luxio immediately marched straight towards her room, and slammed the door.

Leafeon rolled her eyes at this. "How mature…"

Illumise sighed, "So, who are we thinking for elimination?"

"Well, Deoxys may be a neurotic loser, but he's right about one thing," Meganium said, "We have a _lot_ of contenders for elimination. Gliscor practically handed the other team the win in the first round, Zweilous chose the awful pairings, Jangmo-o didn't get any Tauros at all, Luxio bailed mid challenge, and Gastly's just weak in general," she listed. "Jangmo-o's probably the worst out of all of them, though."

"I could agree to that," Delphox concurred. "But there's one more thing I'd like to mention. Mudkip revealed to me that Gliscor told him and some others about the conversation we had earlier, without specifying who."

"Okay?" Leafeon responded, a little confused as to why she brought this up, "What does this mean?"

"That there's likely another alliance that we don't know about," The bipedal fox answered.

The other girls exchanged glances, not knowing what to think of this.

"Well, I hope it's just a case of him telling all of the guys publicly," Meganium remarked. "The last thing we need is a guys alliance because that puts _us_ in the minority."

"Absolutely," Leafeon agreed. "Luxio better hope that the guys don't vote her out."

Illumise didn't say anything else. Instead, she just stared at Delphox intensely, which the others didn't seem to notice.

 **000**

" **Knowing Gliscor and his burning curiosity, I feel like he told the guys about something that he had no idea about...which could've been literally anything, but I have a feeling Delphox used some strong words about someone when they had that convo," Illumise surmised.**

" **I just hope that someone isn't me, but I still just don't trust all that much, even after our own conversation last night."**

 **000**

Jangmo-o groaned loudly, plopping himself down on the couch. "Stupid grouches. I bet they're probably gonna eliminate me just because I always try to brighten their sour moods."

"Relax, Joker Quinn," Zweilous quipped. "At least you didn't bail in the middle of the challenge because she got in her feels."

"Yeah, we probably should vote Luxio out," Gastly spoke, "She really loathes me for some reason and she probably hates me even more now since I screamed at her earlier."

"I'd be down with voting Luxio out," Kirlia agreed. "That _was_ pretty scummy of her."

Zweilous yawned. "Welp, I guess that's settled. I'm gonna take a nap until Deoxys calls us down for elimination."

As the two-headed dragon went to his room, Gliscor suddenly approached Mudkip. "So, what did she say? What did she say?" He asked excitedly.

Knowing who he was talking about, Mudkip sighed, before reluctantly answering with, "She just told me that she'd talk to you later and soften her language."

"Nice!" Gliscor chirped. "Can't wait!"

Gliscor glided to his room, while Mudkip just rubbed his temples. "In before he comes back to me with more vagueness from Delphox…"

Gastly noticed his expression and floated up to him. "You feeling alright, Mudkip?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright," The Mud Fish Pokemon assured. "It's just that...leading an alliance is more stressful than I thought it would be," he spoke quietly, not wanting Kirlia or Zweilous to hear.

Gastly was unsure of how to respond, and he didn't want to say anything stupid, so he meekly said, "Well...you're trying your best, aren't you?"

Mudkip didn't say anything for a few seconds, leading Gastly to believe he made him feel worse. "O-Okay, nevermind, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's cool," Mudkip reassured, cracking a small smile at the ball of gas. "And you're right, I am trying my hardest, and that matters."

" _SCEPTILES, IT'S TIME FOR YOUR ELIMINATION CEREMONY! COME DOWN TO THE HOTEL LOBBY!_ "

"Welp, here goes nothing," Jangmo-o drawled, still pessimistic about his chances of staying.

 **000**

One by one, the Sceptiles sat down on the chairs with expressions of annoyance, or nervousness.

Deoxys was already at the lobby when the Sceptiles showed up, and once they sat down, he immediately proceeded with the ceremony.

"Welcome to your first elimination ceremony, Sceptiles," Deoxys greeted, seemingly forgetting about the Blaziken's less than pleased reactions when he tried to brighten their moods yesterday.

"You say this like we're proud to be here," Luxio scoffed.

"Why not, this is your first time experiencing an elimination ceremony!" Deoxys reminded, trying and failing to make them feel better.

The Sceptiles glared at him in response, causing Deoxys to laugh sheepishly, "Okay, so clearly neither team likes their spirits lifted up when they're down."

Jangmo-o huffed, "You aren't wrong about that,"

"So, for voting, one at a time you will go inside that dome over there with the front desk inside of it, and put a check mark on the fake ID of who you're voting," The Alien explained. "Leafeon, you can vote first."

Leafeon smiled at her name being called first. Once she went inside of the dome, she held up Luxio's ID in thought.

The Verdant Pokemon sighed. "She's lucky we're stuck in an alliance together," She muttered, before putting Luxio's ID down, and drawing a checkmark on Jangmo-o's ID.

Once she walked out, Mudkip was next. He put a checkmark on Luxio's ID.

"We _should_ have the votes, but who knows what'll happen," he said, before walking out of the dome.

Then, in this order, Zweilous, Jangmo-o, Gastly, Meganium, Gliscor, Kirlia, Luxio, Delphox, and Illumise put in their votes.

Once Illumise sat back down, Deoxys collected all of the votes.

"The following contestants are safe with 0 votes," Deoxys began, "Gliscor, Mudkip, Delphox, Illumise, Leafeon, Meganium, Zweilous, and Kirlia."

Deoxys gave the 8 of them potato chips using Psychic. This left Luxio, Jangmo-o, and Gastly, all of which held nervous looks.

"Gastly, you only received one vote, so you're safe," Deoxys continued.

Gastly sighed in relief, catching the potato chips with his fangs. He knew exactly where that vote came from, but she had to have gotten the most votes...right?

"This leaves Luxio and Jangmo-o," Deoxys said. "By a 6-4 vote, the contestant with the most votes is..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Luxio."

Jangmo-o caught his bag of potato chips before smirking at the lynx, "Looks like you ran outta lux, huh? Huh?"

Luxio groaned at his corniness, but she let out a small smile, raising from her seat, "Very well, I'll accept my fate."

"Now hold on, Luxio," Deoxys instructed before she could leave. "I didn't say you were _eliminated_ , I just said you got the most votes."

Luxio's eyes widened in shock and hope, "So...does this mean…"

"Yes, you're still in," Deoxys finished for her. "On odd-numbered episodes, there will be no elimination, and this is episode 3."

"Wow," Luxio commented, wiping a tear from her face, "You have no idea how glad I am that fate decided to give me another chance in this hotel, and allow me and Arceus to make any evil suffer."

Gastly whimpered at her last statement, "Oh no…"

"Uh...I'm glad you're confident, Luxio," Deoxys reluctantly acknowledged, knowing that Arceus didn't like it when mortals used her name for discrimination. "You guys are dismissed."

The Sceptiles left, still surprised that no one was eliminated. Once they were all gone, Deoxys sighed, "And now to find out _Mewtwo's_ fate," he stated, before teleporting himself away.

 **000**

 **Luxio huffed, "Gastly will pay for disrespecting me, but it'll be through karma and fate. I don't want to put myself at risk for elimination again."**

 **000**

 **Mudkip's eyes were wide due to the revelation, "Well...that didn't work too well."**

" **This could be detrimental to our alliance, especially if Luxio's smart enough to know how the votes went."**

 **000**

 **I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screwed, I'm screeeewed," Gastly frantically repeated, almost in a tune.**

 **000**

 **Aaand done. This one also took longer than I wanted it to, but...I have all of the typical excuses, school, procrastination, yadda, yadda…**

 **Anyways, as for this chapter, we've seen quite a few people snap on just the third episode. Delphox is starting to make waves as an antagonist, Shellder and Charjabug are...unofficially a couple? And Tyranitar is hiding something…**

 **That's all I have for this chapter, Bruxish?**

 **Bruxish: What do you want?"**

… **.**

 **Bruxish: Wait, no one got eliminated today? *groans* fine, read, review, do whatever you want. He's desperate.**

 **Coming from you, that's saying a lot.**

 **Bruxish: Oh, screw you!**


End file.
